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social psychology
You overestimate how clearly your feelings show to others.
In a 1998 study, individuals consistently rated their internal anxiety as being significantly more visible to observers than it actually was.
This phenomenon, known as the illusion of transparency, occurs because you are deeply aware of your internal state. You assume this internal clarity acts as an external signal. Observers, however, have no access to your subjective experience.
You feel exposed when you are actually quite private.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Gilovich, Medvec, and Savitsky (1998)
- What the check found
- The seminal 1998 paper by Gilovich, Savitsky, and Medvec confirms this result, as referenced in the provided text.
- Confidence
- Well replicated
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.