THE SPOTLIGHT EFFECT - Why We think everyone is watching us - Ms. Aliza Iram Bakshi Syed / III B.Sc Psychology / MKJC(A)
THE SPOTLIGHT EFFECT - Why We think everyone is watching us Introduction In social psychology, the spotlight effect refers to the human tendency to believe that others notice and evaluate us far more than they actually do. This cognitive bias causes individuals to overestimate how much attention people pay to their appearance, mistakes, behaviors, or social performance. The term was introduced by psychologists Thomas Gilovich and Kenneth Savitsky, whose experiments consistently showed that people assume they are “on display” much more than they truly are. The spotlight effect emerges from a simple psychological mechanism: we are the center of our own world. Since we experience life through our own perspective, we naturally (and unconsciously) project this level of attention onto others. However, research demonstrates that other people are usually too preoccupied with their own concerns to focus heavily on us. Why the Spotlight Effect Feels So Real (Even When It’s Not) Here’s the ...
