A new study from Cornell University investigates the extent to which people overestimates the extent to which their actions and appearance are noted by others.
Most of us stand out in our own minds. Whether in the midst of a personal triumph or an embarrassing mishap, we are usually quite focused on what is happening to us, its significance to our lives, and how it appears to others. Each of us is the center of our own universe.
Because we are so focused on our own behavior, it can be difficult to arrive at an accurate assessment of how much - or how little - our behavior is noticed by others. Indeed, close inspection reveals frequent disparities between the way we view our performance (and think others will view it) and the way it is actually seen by others. Whether making a brilliant point in a group discussion, contributing to a successful project, or executing the perfect jump shot on the basketball court, we sometimes find that the efforts we view as extraordinary and memorable go unnoticed or under-appreciated by others.
The same is true of the actions we wish to disown because they reflect poorly on our ability or character.
In the first two studies, participants were asked to don a T-shirt depicting either a flattering or potentially embarrassing image. The results of this study shows that the participants greatly overestimated the number of observers who would be able to recall what was pictured on the shirts they were wearing. On average the participants thought that 45% of the observers will be able to remember the image on their shirt when in fact less than 10% of the observers were able to do so.
In a third study designed to examine whether the spotlight effect exists, not just for attire or appearance, but for behavior and acts of "self-presentation" more generally, participants were asked to participate in a discussion and afterward estimate how the group as a whole would rank everyone on a number of positive and negative attributes. In agreement with the results from studies 1 and 2, the participants again overestimated how prominent their positive and negative utterances were to their fellow discussants.
The take away from this research is probably this: the next time you think you have a "Bad Hair day" and gets all embarrassed every time someone looks at you funny, you can be rest assured that he probably wasn't noticing your hair, although you might want to check your socks.
Category(s):Self-Confidence, Self-Criticism, Self-Esteem
Source material from Cornell University
