Other people's behaviour acts as a cue for what to do, buy, or believe.
More quotesBrine hits the tongue first. Salt, acid and the taste of something stored in a jar at the back of a cupboard. The jaw tightens. The eyes narrow. Every muscle feels as conspicuous as a fire alarm. Now look into a camera and pretend the cup contained cherry.
People doing exactly that believed their disgust would be obvious to many observers. Observers detected it less often than expected. The gap comes from occupying two entirely different seats. The drinker feels the tongue, throat, pulse, thought and effort of suppression. The observer gets a face for a few seconds. They may notice a grimace. They do not receive the private commentary screaming, Christ, that was foul.
Public embarrassment works the same way. Lose one word during a speech and the blank seems to last a geological period. From the third row, a person paused, glanced down and continued. Spill water at dinner and you live the heat in your face, the wet sleeve and the certainty that everybody has revised their opinion of you. Across the table, somebody is wondering whether they left the oven on.
Faces show strain and voices shake. Other people often notice something without receiving the thoughts and physical sensations accompanying it. They attach their own short explanation rather than yours. A blush can mean heat. A pause can mean thought. A tightened mouth can mean the drink was sharp.
The taster swallows. The observer marks a box. An assistant lifts the empty cup and places another one in front of them.