The reverse spotlight effect: Failing to notice what others notice about us

People are hyperaware of themselves. Research on the spotlight effect has shown that hyperawareness leads people to overestimate how much others notice about themselves. However, people are not always self-aware. What happens to the spotlight effect when people lack self-awareness? Across two studies, we attempt to elicit a reverse spotlight effect by taking advantage of people’s failure to notice their own body odor. As expected, participants in both studies underestimated how much others would notice their scent. However, participants who were alerted to potential failures of self-awareness before being sprayed with a scent showed a diminished reverse spotlight effect. Our findings suggest that when people lack self-awareness, they will underestimate how much others are aware of them. People who are made aware of the spotlight shining on them can overcome this effect.