As we begin a new academic year, waves of individuals will begin looking for groups they feel comfortable with. Finding accepting communities that provide comfortable social spaces is essential, especially for incoming college students. 

These communities — including jobs, Greek Life, clubs and sports — will begin pushing for recruitment as well. Off-campus, advertising for networking with “like-minded” people is presented through social media and as taglines at business conferences.

This wording has made me more apprehensive than excited; when everyone thinks the same, we lose the perspectives needed to move forward.

Obviously, not all like-minded people think the same about everything. In professional contexts, this can simply mean people pursuing the same goals and interests or who have similar long-term ambitions. Having a like-minded mentor or manager can be beneficial in exploring future opportunities and advancing in relevant ways.

There are benefits in belonging to groups of like-minded people through culture, faith and identities. These are all important connections which create safe and supportive spaces for individuals who may feel isolated from the majority because of these factors. This extends to mental health and addiction as people facing similar challenges and supporting one another through groups can be more beneficial than therapy. 

But all of the hype around like-minded individuals poses a more serious concern: a lack of critical thinking. 

Diversity of thought is what encourages us to develop new ideas and approaches for solving problems and conflicts. People with different opinions may challenge us with their perspectives, but those challenges inspire innovation. 

Exclusively interacting with people who share the same opinions as us can discourage us from developing our own perspectives, making it harder to think about all aspects or potential varieties in these perspectives. If someone does not belong to a social, economic, religious or other identity group, it will be difficult for them to understand the impact a viewpoint can have on other groups.

Interacting with differently minded people doesn’t mean opposing views should change your perspectives. Conversely, a healthy argument can reinforce your own perspectives and affirm your reasoning for the choices you make. 

Breaking out of a group to discuss controversial topics productively reduces your chances of groupthink, or accepting and supporting a perspective that might not be the best approach for problem-solving. And if the other perspectives have strong reasoning, you can find your own views expanded. 

It’s harder to tell a friend that you strongly disagree with them, but rationalizing your views with an opponent can help you communicate more clearly in any context. 

This concept includes the like-minded people we interact with day-to-day, but also with those we chose to support on a national scale.

This becomes extremely clear in the realm of politics. This year, there have been four Democratic House defects to the GOP. One senator has done the reverse, while four have party-switched to and from independent or third parties. 

These changes directly impact legislatures. In North Carolina, a party switch caused a veto overturn that resulted in restricted abortion access state-wide. Assuming that political party affiliation means sharing opinions with like-minded people might result in straight-ticket voting, ignoring the individual perspectives each candidate holds. 

Considering 173 state legislators have switched parties within the last 30 years, there are clearly more factors at play regarding party affiliation than personal beliefs. Assuming a candidate of a party you support is like-minded and will act in mutual interests for you is simply not how things work in a political context. 

As we start this school year, it’s important to be careful of only interacting with like-minded people. While spending time with people who think just like us, we might miss out on different ideas that can help us grow. 

Even though it’s nice to be around people who think the same things, we should also listen to people with differing opinions. This can help us learn new things and come up with better solutions to problems we face on any level, from small interactions to the most controversial of topics. This is important not only in our daily lives but also in our political support, where thinking that all members of a group have the same ideas can lead us to misunderstand motivations and intricacies. 

So, while it’s good to be around friends who agree with us, it’s also important to actively listen and engage with different viewpoints for a more diverse and open-minded perspective.