Concept: The spotlight effect. The tendency to overestimate how much other people notice us. Coined by Gilovich, Medvec, and Savitsky (2000). In their original study, students wore an embarrassing T-shirt into a room and predicted half of others would remember it. Actual rate: about 25%. The pattern repeats across awkward moments, slip-ups, and outfits — we're our own focal point, others rarely are. Limit: the effect shrinks in groups where you're actually being evaluated. #scienceofpeople

Term of the day: p-hacking. When researchers run many statistical tests on the same data and report only those that crossed the significance threshold, you get findings that look real but aren't. Test a "lucky charm" effect on 100 outcomes and 5 will look significant by chance alone. The 2011 paper "False-Positive Psychology" (Simmons, Nelson, Simonsohn) showed how easy this is to do unintentionally. Why it matters: a single significant p-value tells you almost nothing without knowing how many tests were run. Tomorrow: pre-registration. #scienceofpeople

There are four nonverbal mechanisms behind "Zoom fatigue" — close-up eye contact, watching yourself in real time, reduced mobility, and higher cognitive load from interpreting fewer cues. The paper is theoretical, drawing on prior research in nonverbal communication; empirical tests are still rolling in. Open question: do these mechanisms apply equally across cultures with different norms for eye contact and personal space? From Technology, Mind, and Behavior (2021). #scienceofpeople

Our goal is to take landmark behavioral science studies and replicate them — with you and a global community of participants. Let us know if you have any studies you would like us to replicate!

Thank you for following Science of People. We have just published the first study for the lab! Join the very first experiment: labs.scienceofpeople.com/

Toxic positivity is the belief that you can solve problems by dismissing negative emotions and focusing on the positive. ‼️🫣 When we asked hundreds of you in our Science of People audience how many experienced toxic positivity in the last week, 67.8% of you said yes! Read more here: ➡️➡️➡️scienceofpeople.com/toxic-po… #Toxic #ToxicPositivity #Emotions

Most people have a secret wish to be more interesting. How do I know? Google told me. This morning I logged on to do my monthly check of our website analytics. As I settled in with my coffee to peruse our latest numbers, search hits and demographics, I stumbled upon an interesting little finding. Read more here: scienceofpeople.com/how-to-b…

Gaslighting is such a disorienting experience that victims often don’t realize it’s happening to them. However, it can have harmful effects on your mental health and well-being if not addressed. Fortunately, you are not alone, and there are ways to protect yourself. In this article, we’ll examine what gaslighting is, the signs to look out for, and how to avoid it. Read more: scienceofpeople.com/gaslight…

Being a leader means navigating the good and bad times. Ideally, everything runs without a hitch, and your job is easy. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. It’s up to leaders to fix problems when they arise, but research shows 77% of businesses report a lack of #leadership scienceofpeople.com/leadersh…

As kids, people always warn of “stranger danger,” but as adults, you have to talk to strangers daily. How do you approach someone and start a conversation without feeling like the most awkward person in the world? scienceofpeople.com/talk-to-… #TalkingtoStrangers #Talking #StrangerDanger

First #impressions are everything. The science proves it: most people make a first impression of a person within 7 seconds so you have to make it count. In this post, I want to teach you 21 science-backed strategies to make an incredible, lasting, captivating #FirstImpression. Read more: scienceofpeople.com/first-im…