Spotlight Effect: Why We Think Everyone Judges Us Constantly
“I have made a mistake”. “I have lisped.” “I have a huge pimple.” “I wear a sock of each color.” “My nails are badly painted.” All of these phrases have something in common: many people are greatly bothered by the idea that others might detect an imperfection in oneself.
The truth is that the majority of people we interact with are not even going to notice it, but we can become obsessed with that specific detail that could perhaps make us look bad, believing that everyone will see it. We are facing what is known as the spotlight effect a psychological phenomenon that we are going to talk about in this article.
It is understood by the spotlight effect the overestimation that people make of the salience of their behavior or characteristics. In other words, people consider their own act or element to be very striking and everyone is going to see it and judge it.
It generally refers to negative elements, such as having done something wrong, having a pimple, or wearing a shirt that causes embarrassment. However, it can also refer to an overestimation of what other people will think of one’s own contribution or of some positive trait that others will value and admire. It is more common in very introspective people, or who tend to focus a lot on themselves and their actions.
Thus, we give more importance to a specific element and think that the environment is going to focus on it, this thought causing the desire to hide it or show it (depending on whether what we believe about said element is negative or positive). But we lose sight and forget the fact that we are not the core of others’ lives these being focused on their own affairs.
The existence of the spotlight effect is something documented and observed in multiple experiments. One of them was that of Cornell University, in which students were asked to wear t-shirts they considered embarrassing. After that, they were asked to evaluate the number of people who had noticed that detail considered embarrassing. Likewise, the people who had observed were asked. The data comparison showed that less than half of the people who the participants thought had noticed them had actually done so.
The same experiment has been carried out in multiple ways with very similar results, with aspects such as hairstyle, or even participation in debates. And not only with physical elements or actions performed: a similar effect has also been observed in the belief that others are capable of guessing one’s own emotional state due to the salience of our behaviors or actions.
Repercussions
The spotlight effect is common, but it can generate a series of important consequences for the person who suffers from it. For example, it is closely linked to self-esteem: if we believe that people are focusing on an element of our own that we judge to be negative, insecurity will end up appearing and a decrease in our perceived self-worth.
We focus our attention on the element in question and tend to pay less attention to the rest of the variables and elements present in ourselves or in the environment. Likewise, this focus can cause a decrease in the ability to concentrate and performance in other tasks, which in turn can further lower our self-esteem.
It can also cause consequences at a behavioral level, leading to avoidance or overexposure of situations in which showing up with said element could be embarrassing/proud: for example, not going out or not going to a party because you think that everyone will see and judge the grain that came out the night before.
It is even possible to relate this effect to some pathologies: body dysmorphic disorder or eating disorders can be examples in which a very important spotlight effect can be observed. In body dysmorphic disorder, a fixation with a part of the body that embarrasses us, and in disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, the weight and physical figure we have becomes an obsession. Those who suffer from them overestimate the salience of these elements and distort their own self-perception (seeing themselves as fat even when they are severely underweight or feeling a deep aversion and concern for a part of themselves), although in these cases it is more related to their own self-perception.
A frequent effect throughout the life cycle
The spotlight effect is something that most people have experienced at some point, being especially common in adolescence. In fact, this effect is directly related to one of the typical mental phenomena of this moment of development: the imaginary audience.
That is, the thought that others are aware and attentive to our actions and actions, something that allows us to behave in a way that favors the opinion of others about us. This is a somewhat egocentric vision thinking that the rest of the environment is going to pay attention to us, but that is common at times when we are assuming our individuality and creating our own identity.
The imaginary audience is something that as we mature disappears to be replaced by concern for the real audience that we have every day. But even in adulthood, the truth is that we generally tend to overestimate the impression we make on others and the attention they pay us.
Advertising use
The spotlight effect has been known for many years, and has come to be used as an advertising element and for commercial purposes. The concern to cover up something that we consider a defect or to attract attention It is something that is used by brands to generate more sales. Obvious examples are advertisements for certain brands of clothing, cosmetics, automobiles, watches or deodorants. The supposed focusing of others on what we use is used to favor showing a more positive image.
This does not mean that others do not pay any attention to what we do or wear, image being something important nowadays. But the truth is that this effect causes us to overestimate the importance of specific details and give value to things that do not have as much value.
