Spotlight Effect: When We Make A Storm In A Teapot

The Spotlight effect is the name given to the tendency to exaggerate any defect or error, however small. People who are victims of this problem feel like everyone is paying attention to themselves and judging even the smallest of mistakes. It’s typical among teenagers, but there are also many adults who feel that way.

A person affected by the Spotlight effect will be scared if they notice a pimple on their face. You will imagine that everyone is aware of this little imperfection and will seek the moment to criticize it behind your back. This type of person is inhabited by two apparently contradictory situations: they have low self-esteem but, at the same time, they feel at the center of the universe.

Advertisers are very familiar with the Spotlight effect. That’s why you see a multitude of commercials in which someone is excluded or judged for not using a certain product. These advertisements show scenes in which someone is made fun of or rejected by everyone around them for not using a certain brand or not performing a certain action. Anyone who is obsessed with the opinions of others is a very easy prey for manipulation.

This is the Spotlight effect

To give a more precise definition, let’s say the Spotlight effect is the tendency to overestimate one’s own characteristics or personal behavior. This is because the affected person feels that any error, difficulty or problem is extremely attractive to others. The person does not realize that the majority of humanity also has problems and imperfections.

We could say that the Spotlight effect is one of the faces of paranoia. The paranoid feels very special, different, the chosen one. It’s not that he has too much narcissism, but that he has too much guilt for something that he is not even aware of. You project that guilt onto others, and so it seems that everyone is constantly judging you severely. In addition, he compensates for this feeling of guilt by feeling falsely superior.

These types of people want to maintain a personal image that they are better at this or that, and so they end up becoming extremely dependent on others’ opinions in two ways. On the one hand, they need to captivate others in some way; on the other hand, they are afraid of others, as they seem implacable judges.

A revealing survey

Researchers at Cornell University did research on the Spotlight effect. The study consisted of gathering a group of volunteers and asking them to choose a shirt they considered shameful. They were supposed to wear it for a whole day and then calculate how many people were paying attention to the ridiculous blouse.

After completing this first stage of the experiment, each person was asked the number of people who had looked at them with an air of disapproval. After that, a survey was carried out among the observers to contrast this data with the responses of the volunteers.

The result was that many volunteers were quite significantly mistaken when calculating the number of people who had noticed them. The figures showed that less than half had actually noticed the situation.

How to overcome the Spotlight effect

The most recommendable way to overcome this type of difficulty, which is based on our unconscious mind, is to do psychotherapy. There are also some measures that can be taken in the short term that are quite effective. Some of them are:

• Seek to prove the truth of the assumptions. It is worth replicating Cornell’s experiment in our lives, on a small scale. It would be interesting to make a deliberate mistake or set out to do something ridiculous, and then ask others if they really noticed the situation.
• Analyze the reasons for shame. It may be helpful to think about why this error or defect is as serious as it initially appears to you. What’s terrible about the situation? What could be intolerable for others?
• Remember your virtues. It is good practice to reflect on your own virtues when you are judging yourself, whether your judgment is right or wrong. What makes it special? Why does a pimple on your face or a stain on your shirt say anything about your worth?

It would be interesting to examine why you feel so insecure about others. The Spotlight effect takes root in those who have not yet been able to accept themselves. Maybe there’s something that hurts you deeply, but you still haven’t looked deep to find out what it is. Think about it, search your memory with an attitude of observation rather than judgment. This way, you will be able to truly know yourself.