Embarrassing situations make you feel as though everyone’s eyes are on you and everyone is judging you. They may trigger feelings of insecurity and anxiety. The feeling is similar to having a spotlight focussed on you during a stage performance. A spotlight brings the attention of the audience on a particular performer.
Being in a situation in which you feel extremely self-conscious can be overwhelming and stressful. However, it is important to remember that people do not notice your flaws or judge you as much as you assume they do. This is because everyone is busy with their own thoughts. The tendency to overestimate how much attention people pay to you and judge you is called the ‘spotlight effect’.
The spotlight effect makes you feel there is a huge spotlight focussed on you constantly. It makes you feel you are being observed and evaluated all the time. However, based on research, people do not notice you or the small imperfections you are fixated on as much as you think because everyone is preoccupied with their own lives and their own spotlights. That is why one should relax, accept their imperfections and not worry much about other people’s opinions of them.
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