spotlight effect
/ˈspɒtlaɪt ɪˌfekt/
overestimating how much others notice your appearance or behavior
spotlight effect in a sentence
“The spotlight effect made him think everyone noticed his small stain.”
Origin of spotlight effect
Middle Dutch spot lamp + light + Latin effectus
Related Words
egocentric bias
overweighting one's own perspective
self-enhancement
the tendency to describe oneself more positively than warranted
naive realism
believing one sees the world objectively while others are biased
false consensus effect
overestimating how much others share one's opinions
Dunning-Kruger effect
the tendency for unskilled individuals to overestimate their ability
impostor syndrome
persistent feelings of inadequacy despite evident success