Why We Avoid Conversations That Would Make Us Happier

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I study mind reading for a living. I study how we make inferences about each other's thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, and mostly what I'm interested in is how we screw that up and misunderstand each other so often.

Nick Epley is a professor of social psychology at the University of Chicago. His research shows that we often avoid connecting with other people because we mistakenly believe they don't want to engage with us.

I remember thinking, "Man, if that's something