Spotlight Effect: From A Fly To A Bull

The spotlight phenomenon makes the sufferer afraid to die of acne on their face. He thinks everyone will notice this little imperfection. He also imagines others talking about him and criticizing him behind his back.

There are two conflicting situations in the minds of these people. On the one hand, they have low self-esteem, and on the other hand, they feel they are the center of the universe.

Advertisers know a lot about the spotlight phenomenon. That’s why countless ads slander people because they don’t use a particular product. For example, in some ads, a person is not accepted into the crowd or is rejected simply because they do not use a particular brand of product or do a certain thing. People who are obsessed with the opinions of others are easy prey for advertisers.

What is the spotlight phenomenon?

The person suffering from the spotlight phenomenon tends to overestimate their own traits or behaviors. This is especially because a person believes that one of his or her shortcomings or mistakes is very noteworthy to others. But he doesn’t realize that most don’t care about the stain on his shirt.

One could say that the spotlight phenomenon is just one form of paranoia. A paranoid person feels special, different, and chosen. But it is not due to excessive narcissism. Rather, they feel guilty about something they don’t know about. And that’s why they reflect their feelings of guilt on others. They feel like everyone is constantly criticizing them. At the same time, their guilt leveles off with their sense of superiority.

People who suffer from this phenomenon retain the image that they are better than others. Therefore, they are extremely dependent on other people’s opinions. On the other hand, they need to get the attention of others in some way. But they are also afraid of others because they think others are ruthless judges.

An eye-opening test

Some researchers conducted an experiment on the spotlight phenomenon at Cornell University. A group of volunteers was gathered for the experiment and asked to choose the shirt they thought was ugly.  Then they had to keep it for a day and count how many noticed it.

After completing the first part of the experiment, the researchers asked everyone how many had noticed their embarrassing shirt. Similarly, they also evaluated observers to compare their responses with those of volunteers.

After all, many of the volunteers were significantly wrong in counting the number of people who had noticed the shirts. The results showed that less than half of the reported observers had noticed the shirt.

How to get rid of the spotlight phenomenon

To overcome the difficulties in your subconscious, experts recommend psychological therapy. There are other short-term methods that may prove effective:

• Check that the assumptions are correct. The Cornell University exam is worth doing again on a personal scale. You could ask others if they noticed when you made a mistake or something ridiculous.
• Analyze the reasons why you are embarrassed. It’s good to think about why you think your mistakes or faults are so serious. What’s so horrible about them? Why would other people be so intolerant of them?

• Think of something positive. To combat these negative feelings, you could try to think of something positive. What makes you valuable? Why does a pimple on your face or a stain on your shirt make you less valuable?

Also, it would be interesting to take a closer look at why you are so insecure about yourself. The spotlight phenomenon is visible in people who have not been able to accept themselves.