Understand the "Spotlight Effect" to Boost Your Confidence and Success 🏆
Issue #54 — "Spotlight Effect" to beat social anxiety. Library Extension. Your life is precious.
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💡 Here are 3-tips to help you learn, grow, and be inspired this week!
🎓 Learn
Hey there, welcome back!
In our previous issue, we dived into the "Mind over Milkshake" experiment.
Today, we’ve got another cool study to talk about: the "Spotlight Effect."
Knowing about this can help you in many ways:
Feel more confident when talking to people.
Do not feel nervous when speaking on stage.
Succeed in job interviews.
About the Study
Researchers Thomas Gilovich, Victoria Husted Medvec, and Kenneth Savitsky from Cornell University conducted this study.
What’s it about?
It explores the idea that we often think everyone is watching us when, in reality, they're not as focused on us as we believe.
How Was the Study Done?
In this experiment, the scientists asked these students to put on a shirt with a funny or embarrassing picture. After that, these students entered a room full of strangers. Later, they were asked to guess how many people noticed their funny shirt.
The result?
The student estimated that 50% of classmates would have noticed when, in reality, only 25% did.
How Can This Study Improve Your Life?
No More Stage Fear: If you are like me, who gets nervous before speaking in public? This study says you don't have to be. People are more into their own thoughts and less likely to focus on you, giving you less reason to be nervous.
Be Yourself in Social Situations: Are you anxious about how you look at social events like parties? Well, guess what, you can chill. Most people are too caught up in their own world to focus on you. So, you can be more relaxed, which helps you connect with people and even make new friends.
Nail that Job Interview: Do you get the jitters before a job interview? You start to worry about everything, from your outfit to your hairstyle. Here’s a tip: Don’t. Instead, use that energy to talk about your skills and what you bring to the table. You’ll come across as more confident, which increases your chance of getting the job.
Two simple takeaways:
The takeaway from this experiment is pretty simple but very freeing.
We often feel like we're the center of attention, especially in new or stressful situations. The truth is, most people are too busy thinking about themselves to notice the small details about you.
Even if they notice you, they quickly forget about it.
(If you want to dig deeper into “Spotlight Effect,” here is a good piece.)
🚀 Grow
As a book reader, I love this browser extension as it helps me find the book I’m about to buy on Amazon in nearby public libraries.
Note: I haven’t tried this outside the USA. So let me know if it works!
🤩 Inspire
This will help you realize how special your life is!
See you next time for more tips on personal growth!
May the Peaceful Growth be with you! 🪴
