Counterpoint: anecdotal evidence is sometimes actively harmful and you should consider not sharing it in certain situations. I know, some people have the refle

Counterpoint: anecdotal evidence is sometimes actively harmful and you should consider not sharing it in certain situations. I know, some people have the reflexive urge to make every situation about themselves, but I think you should instead be aware that (1) your own experience is not necessarily representative of the broader reality and (2) even if it is may distract from the topic being discussed. Don't get me wrong, everybodies lived experience is in fact valid. And yet that doesn't mean it is appropriate to share it at all times. If your friend tells you their newborn died during childbirth telling them: "Well mine didn't" would be actively abusive behavior. If someone tells you an intimate story about how being poor affected them as a child, there are certain ways to share your experience of how your parents always bought you everything you wanted that productively add to the topic and others that distract from it. Always remember that everybody just sharing their experience is a different thing from you reacting on some others experience. What may be a fun anecdote for you, may be a life-defining experience for others. Aside from these examples anecdotal evidence can be destructive if it ignores that the plural of anecdotes is not data.