We all know that perfection is unrealistic.
But, why do we sometimes make mistakes that are obvious to others?
The answer is that our brain is so efficient that it makes assumptions and fills in blanks based on past experiences.
Don’t believe me? Let’s plan a quick game…
Before you move forward, I want you to click on the image below and read what you see out loud. Here is the important part… Don’t hesitate when you see the words. Just start reading.
Clear?
Ready…?
Ready for another example?
If you are feeling disappointed, don’t be.
Most people that read this don’t catch those mistakes.
In fact, take a look at the paragraph and start reading out loud or to yourself:
“Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteers be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.”
Source: Rawlinson, G. E. (1976) The significance of letter position in word recognition. Unpublished PhD Thesis, Psychology Department, University of Nottingham, Nottingham UK.
Where do we go from here?
I think the normal advice is still the best: practice empathy.
We are all doing the best that we can, and if I, or you, make a mistake that was the best that we could do at that moment.
Leave a Reply