If you’ve ever taken a political science class, you’d know that it’s only a matter of time before conversations start getting heated around certain topics. It happens to all of us, and you’ve seen it happen to plenty others. For most people, there’s an entire list of subjects to avoid bringing up at a family dinner. Even if you hardly pay attention to politics, there’s at least one topic that you will absolutely not be able to keep your cool over once it reaches the table.

To start things off, it has to be acknowledged that sometimes, it really is hard to keep your cool on certain topics. I feel like most people think they shouldn’t admit that they can get fired up over politics, but like I said, everybody has at least one thing that they cannot contain themselves with. For most people, it’s some sort of social issue in the world, usually because of how personal they can be.

So, try to never argue about those with people. You won’t change each other’s minds, you will not be happy walking out of it, and it is simply not worth it. Protect your peace and avoid things you know you’re just going to fight over. If you ever notice yourself pointing out little things that pick apart the other person’s character or grammar, then it’s time to back away. Nothing good has ever come out of bickering with another person if neither of you aren’t going to fully listen to each other anyway.

Also, make sure you let the other person get their point across before starting to talk again. The urge to point out the problems with another’s point can get pretty strong, but ultimately interrupting someone only causes things to get more heated. Anything including interrupting, mocking or raising your voice, just makes things worse and makes the other person feel as though you don’t respect them.

Conversely, if someone begins doing any of these things to you, just leave the conversation. Once it reaches that point, it becomes a downward spiral and nobody walks away happy. Try to protect your peace a little and end the conversation before it gets there. 

Believe it or not, you’ll meet some people who want things to get there. There’s plenty of people out there who enjoy watching someone flare up and argue with them over an issue. From our personal experiences, that’s so you can get labeled as “dramatic” or “emotional,” so they can brush aside anything you might have to say. It’s much better to not let them have the satisfaction.

Don’t forget, talking to someone about politics can actually be very nice. Having an insightful conversation with someone else can help you see another’s worldview, and even if you don’t agree with certain things they say, learning more about different perspectives can help you navigate the world better. Also, if you share your points and your mindset with another and accept that they may never see things the same as you, it’s usually almost always chill and you may even make an unlikely friend.