Brain Lenses

Brain Lenses

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Brain Lenses
Brain Lenses
Liking Gap

Liking Gap

Colin Wright's avatar
Colin Wright
Jan 19, 2023
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Brain Lenses
Brain Lenses
Liking Gap
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The "Illusion of Transparency" says, in essence, that we believe other people have a better sense of our internal state—worried, happy, anxious, etc—than they actually do.

The "Spotlight Effect" posits that we believe we're being noticed more than we actually are; so our fumbling gait, tripping over words, the stain on our shirts all seem more evident to other people (in our minds) than they actually are.

Both of these effects may contribute to another psychological concept, the Liking Gap, which basically says we tend to underestimate how much other people like us and enjoy being around us.

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