![]() ![]() Introducing yourself to a group demands that you evaluate how every single member responds to you-an overwhelming task. When we meet a new person, we’re constantly trying to gauge how they’re reacting to us, Erica Boothby, a lecturer in the operations, information, and decisions department at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, told me. Even after you’ve decided what you’ll say, the act of sharing is essentially an instance of public speaking: a major source of anxiety for many people. Having something sprung upon you-especially something that you might be judged for-without warning can incite stress and perhaps trigger the fight-or-flight response. For one, people typically aren’t given much time to prepare. ![]() Psychology can lend some insight into why such activities can feel so painful. ![]() When it’s required, fun just isn’t that fun anymore. Work and school are already stressful, and the pressure to make a good impression is high. But rather than putting people at ease, too often these prompts only create more discomfort. The goals of such an exercise may be noble, aiming to let group members get to know one another in a more human way before they have to work or study together. And the stakes for striking the right balance are high, given that the fact someone shares may very well be the most personal information their co-workers (or fellow students or teammates) ever learn about them. Within such parameters, it’s virtually impossible not to come off as either hopelessly boring or a complete fool. The form demands a tidbit that’s honest without being overly revealing, interesting but never indecent, unique but not weird. The mandate to share one about yourself, typically posed as an icebreaker in schools, offices, and other formal settings, is deeply constraining. ![]()
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