When people are self-conscious about an aspect of their behavior or appearance (such as a large pimple), they often overestimate the extent to which others notice it. Researchers call this phenomenon the spotlight effect.
In one clever study, researchers asked college students to wear an embarrassing t-shirt (one with a photo of singer Barry Manilow). As predicted, the students overestimated the number of other students who actually noticed the t-shirt.
Research on the spotlight effect suggests that others may be less focused on our imperfections than we are. Isn’t that a relief?
People don’t always notice what we wish to hide. Just a thought.
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