U. S. researchers have suggested that a person's comments about others reflect more about themselves than about those they are speaking of.

A person's tendency to describe others in positive terms is an important indicator of the positivity of the person's own personality traits and their emotional stability, say Dustin Wood, assistant professor of psychology at Wake Forest University, Peter Harms at the University of Nebraska and Simine Vazire of Washington University in St. Louis.

Wood says in a statement, "Your perceptions of others reveal so much about your own personality. Seeing others positively reveals our own positive traits."

Published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, the study finds particularly strong associations between positively judging others and how enthusiastic, happy, kind-hearted, courteous, emotionally stable and capable one describes oneself and is described by others.

The study says that conversely, negative perceptions of others are linked to higher levels of narcissism and anti-social behavior.

Wood says in a statement, "A huge suite of negative personality traits are associated with viewing others negatively. The simple tendency to see people negatively indicates a greater likelihood of depression and various personality disorders." (With Inputs from Agencies)