Most People Overestimate How Much Others Notice Them

The spotlight effect is the tendency to think other people are paying far more attention to you than they actually are. Research by Gilovich, Medvec, and Savitsky found people consistently overestimated how many others noticed when they wore an embarrassing T-shirt. In reality, most people are too busy thinking about themselves to notice you.

Source: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2000)