#24: Stepping out of the Spotlight

Adding an extra dose of behavioral science to your week with our series In a Nutshell— a collection of behavioral science principles, explained in 150 words or less, written weekly by CUBIC director Allison Zelkowitz.

Has this ever happened to you? You’re giving a presentation when you lose your train of thought. You pause for what feels like an eternity, and then continue. You spend the afternoon kicking yourself, embarrassed, ruminating on what your colleagues must think.

Well, I’ve got good news – research indicates that they probably didn’t even notice.

The spotlight effect explains the human tendency to overestimate how much other people notice about our own behavior or appearance. We each develop an exaggerated view of our significance, because we only have direct access to our own perspective.

This cognitive bias can cause social anxiety and lead us to make poorer decisions based on how we think others might judge us. So next time you feel ashamed by a mistake, stained shirt, or faux pas, put yourself in the other’s shoes, and remember that they, too, are focusing more on themselves, than on you.