When a friend or family member asks how their outfit looks, if we show any sign of dislike on our face or respond with a slight delay, their intention to wear that outfit switches in a split second to a dash to the closet in search of a replacement.

Some people would keep the outfit on. But their attitude would change. Their initial reaction would be negative most of the time. Questioning why you don’t like it. “Well look at what you’re wearing!� And if they still decide to keep the same outfit on, your voice will replay in their mind over and over throughout the night; “Should it be that tight down there?�

As minuscule as these comments, critiques, feedback, should be on our scale of things to focus on in life, they can skyrocket to the top of our mind’s priorities in an instant. Understandably so in certain situations. If a person walked up to you out of nowhere and decided to share their opinion on your outfit, in a negative way, your responsive system doesn’t have time to analyze what you just heard. You’ll either introduce that stranger to a mean right fist, recreate Edvard Munch’s “The Scream�, or be speechless.

more