My roommate does a lot of things that I do not understand. Obsessing over minions is one, and wearing a fake pigeon on her head has to be a close second. However, I have learned that to some extent there’s a method to her madness. And for her most recent madness, I must both commend her and thank her, because—surprisingly—I learned something pretty important. Now, hey, I know wearing a fake pigeon on your head is nowhere near revolutionary or life-altering, but bear with me. There’s a lot to be learned in the little things, and this was certainly no exception.
See, I’m willing to bet you read this article because you’re a little confused, interested, and maybe a little disgusted—I get it, I’d probably do the same if I were on your shoes too. Who wears a pigeon on their head around a public campus anyway? Super strange. Right?
Maybe. But if so, nobody seemed to mind that much.
Did you catch that?
One more time: No one really cared.
And that’s the truth: nobody really cares!
I walked around with my roommate for a while, suffering from mild second-hand embarrassment until I realized that I was the only one who seemed to think this action was so bizarre. Yeah, duh, it’s by no means normative behavior, but you would think that trudging around a campus full of peers with a 2 ounce fake bird on your head would pull more funny looks, no?
Nope.
Why?
I’m a psych major, which means I get told frequently that I have life easy because Bio is so much harder blah blah blah aaaaaand it means that I look far too much into this stuff so here we go.
So there’s this thing we learn about in Psych classes (and maybe you have to) called the Spotlight Effect. Essentially, it’s a psychological phenomenon in which we have tendency to think that we are noticed waaaaaay more than we actually are.
You know how you’re always so worried that everyone’s going to notice that zit on your chin? Or that you’re having a bad hair day? Or that coffee stain on your shirt? Or that your makeup’s not as “on fleek” as they say? Well, as it turns out, so is everyone else! Seriously, that’s facts. Nobody truly notices. Sounds kind of egocentric, but it boils down to this: you’re your own worst critic. Nobody even comes close to noticing your imperfections as much as you do.
So stop worrying! Breathe please! Because if my roommate can walk around campus with a plastic bird on her head, you most certainly can walk around with a couple pimples.
You’ll be fine, I promise…a little birdie told me.