Benefits of Good Manners

Using good manners on the job will give a good impression to your co-workers and bosses. It can be hard to stand out at work when you have the same skills and ability level as everyone else on your work team. Good manners can set you apart, helping you to earn recognition and possible raises and promotions.

If you deal with customers, good manners can help you maintain your current client base and win new customers more easily. In a study by Eticon Inc., an etiquette consulting company, 58 percent of people surveyed said they would stop dealing with a business if they were treated rudely. Using good manners also can bring down hostility and defensiveness when a customer comes to you with a problem.

Good manners can make you more attractive to potential partners. According to a Men's Health magazine survey, 60 percent of women said that good manners make a man much more attractive. They viewed men with bad manners as ignorant, selfish and badly raised. Most women said that good manners were more important than physical appearance and income level when assessing potential dates.

Try to maintain good manners on the road, even when other drivers do foolish things like cutting you off. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly 8 percent of Americans exhibit a condition called intermittent explosive disorder (IED), which often manifests itself in road rage. Even drivers who do not have IED may exhibit a high level of anger while on the road. By maintaining good manners, you'll reduce your own stress level and reduce the chance that another driver will try to get into a violent confrontation with you.

If you use good manners at home, you are being a good model for other members of your family. This is especially important if you are a parent. Children see bad manners being demonstrated by strangers every day. Make it a point to use good manners within the family, and use the bad manners of others as a cautionary example. You can even turn bad-manner spotting into a game, letting your children find examples and tell you what should have been done instead.

Use good manners and treat others with respect, even if they are everyday contacts who you do not know personally. This includes store clerks, gas station attendants, salespeople and just about anyone else you might encounter in your daily routine. If you treat others with respect, they are more likely to respond in the same way. If you end up having a problem, they will be more likely to go out of their way to help you if you use good manners instead of getting upset, argumentative and confrontational. Using good manners with a stranger can brighten the other person's day, even with a simple act like holding a door open or giving up your seat on a crowded train.