Database of Social Rules (130 Entries)

Social rules are unwritten rules that apply to interactions and relationships with other people. These are learned by immersion in a culture whereby they are viewed as obvious and intuitive to members of a culture.

All (135)

Ethical Rules (17)

Politeness (24)

Social Situations (36)

Communication (28)

Relationships (20)

Social Responsibility (11)

Acknowledge other people's presence.	Act according to your principles.
Ask before taking photos of others.	Avoid asking intrusive questions.
Avoid assumptions about people's backgrounds.	Avoid blaming others.
Avoid bringing up past grievances.	Avoid discussing money in regular conversation.
Avoid discussing personal issues at work.	Avoid discussing politics or religion.
Avoid drama.	Avoid giving dirty looks.
Avoid gossiping.	Avoid inappropriate humor.
Avoid insincere compliments.	Avoid making assumptions based on appearance.
Avoid overly personal disclosures.	Avoid overly personal questions.
Avoid profanity.	Avoid side conversations.
Avoid talking loudly in public spaces.	Avoid wasting resources.
Be an advocate for justice.	Be aware of your body language.
Be aware of your facial expressions.	Be cautious with negativity.
Be cautious with sarcasm.	Be considerate of noise levels.
Be considerate of others.	Be constructive when providing feedback.
Be courteous when declining invitations.	Be discreet about sensitive topics.
Be empathetic when someone shares bad news.	Be environmentally responsible.
Be fully present when you are with others.	Be generous with praise.
Be gracious in defeat.	Be gracious when receiving compliments.
Be happy for other people's achievements.	Be honest but tactful.
Be kind to friends of friends.	Be kind to service workers.
Be loyal to your commitments and relationships.	Be mindful of digital footprints.
Be mindful of your tone.	Be mindful of your words.
Be open and clear about intentions.	Be open to change.
Be open to different ways of thinking.	Be open to feedback.
Be patient in lines.	Be punctual.
Be reliable and dependable.	Be respectful, even in disagreements.
Be timely and responsive in communication.	Be understanding of people's mistakes.
Be understanding when others are busy.	Be willing to share time, resources and knowledge.
Build other people up.	Cultivate awareness of other cultures.
Cultivate awareness of social issues.	Demonstrating professionalism at work.
Disclose possible conflicts of interest.	Divide tasks and responsibilities fairly.
Do not compare people.	Do not discriminate.
Do not manipulate others.	Don't be overly serious all the time.
Don't be quick to judge others.	Don't complete other people's sentences.
Don't eavesdrop.	Don't show up unannounced.
Don't speak with your mouth full.	Don't talk down to others.
Don’t assume familiarity.	Don’t text during conversations or meals.
Dress appropriately for the situation.	Exercise self-discipline and self-control.
Form orderly lines to wait for service.	Give credit to others.
Greet others warmly.	Greet people with a smile.
Handle conflicts privately not in front of others.	Help those in need.
Help your neighbors.	Hold the door open for people.
Keep your promises.	Listen to others.
Maintain a calm demeanor in a disagreement.	Maintain eye contact.
Never criticize someone's appearance.	Offer to help someone who is struggling.
Offer to share food.	Offer your seat to those who need it.
Practice good hygiene.	Promote peace and understanding.
Protect sensitive information.	Research your purchases.
Respect dietary restrictions when hosting meals.	Respect different personality types and outlooks on life.
Respect for intellectual property.	Respect for the elderly.
Respect human rights.	Respect other people's time.
Respect people's right to their own opinion.	Respect personal space.
Respect privacy and don't pry.	Say excuse me as appropriate.
Say please and thank you.	Share the spotlight with others.
Show compassion for others.	Show genuine interest in others.
Solve relationship problems by talking it out.	Stand against corruption.
Stand up for what is right.	Stand when greeting someone.
Support charitable causes.	Support local businesses.
Take responsibility for yourself.	Think before you post to social media.
Treat all people with dignity and respect.	Treat animals humanely.
Treat others how you would like to be treated.	Try not to interrupt others.
Try not to monopolize conversations.	Try not to overcommit.
Try to avoid overreacting.	Try to be fair.
Try to forgive others.	Try to respect cultural differences.
Try to understand the perspective of others.	Use appropriate titles such as Mr. and Mrs.
Use light humor to establish rapport.	Use people's names.
Use small talk to avoid awkward silences.

Ethical Rules

Ethics are quite complex whereby seemingly obvious principles can have unintended consequences. For example, a principle such as do no harm sounds intuitive enough but this isn't a good principle because life isn't this simple. A surgeon who saves your life may need to do some harm in the process. Likewise, there are a large number of social situations where doing something negative in one way benefits others overall. For example, rejecting a job candidate clearly, quickly and directly so that they don't waste time hoping for the position.

Politeness

Rules of politeness are conventions for demonstrating respect and consideration of others. These are typically bright line rules that aren't open to much interpretation such as saying thank you or listening when others talk.

Social Situations

Social rules depend greatly on the situation. For example, avoiding overly personal questions or disclosures at work, particularly with a customer. There are essentially different cultures that emerge to handle these different situations such as a sport that has its own culture that handles norms of acceptable conduct in a game.

Communication

Norms of communication such as maintaining eye contact or helping others to save face when criticizing them.

Relationships

Different sets of social rules can apply to different relationships. For example, it can be a good idea to keep a polite distance from your neighbors whereby you avoid talking about overly personal things or sensitive topics such as religion and politics. However, with your spouse or close friends, there is more of an expectation of warmth and openness.

Social Responsibility

What other people expect of you in terms of being a good person who is reasonably responsible towards others and the environment. For example, the hiking principle that you "take only memories & pictures, leave only footprints."