6 ms·

Wearing a mask = being more confident.

22 points by sahillavingia 16y ago

daveambrose 16y ago
Taking this a step further, when it comes to sales, the type of "mask" you use often is the phone. Over the phone, your presentation (your tone, speed, diction) can change depending upon the person on the other end - as it should.
- sahillavingia 16y ago
  Very true. It applies to emails too. However, often the customer "forgets" that leading to mindless bashing, but I guess that's a compromise. :)
  - gatsby 16y ago
    Great point about emails. At my last office, there was a guy named Robert who was a VP. He was usually a casual guy and signed his emails with "Rob" But, anytime he'd ask someone for a favor or give instructions in an email, he'd always sign with "Robert M. Lastname III, Vice President" Tacky, but material for countless inter-office jokes.
    - frossie 16y ago
      Hence the old joke about having a Ph.D. being most useful when you have to write a letter to your bank.
      - patio11 16y ago
        Speaking of which: a long time ago, I worked at an office supply company and had the privilege of attending a lecture by a guy who had made selling paper his life's work. I send maybe two or three paper letters a year, and if they're designed to go to a human being I always write them on paper which screams I Am The King Of Papers. (I didn't believe such a thing existed, but try putting one sheet of it on a table with 40 sheets of assorted office paper. Anybody can pick it out, instantly, from several feet away.) It costs about $15 for less than a ream and is usually sold as something like "resume paper" (300 sheets -- a ream is 500, a carton is 10 reams, and a carton of generic office paper should cost around $30 ~ $40). One pack will last you about a decade. For those of us in the Internet generation, if you have a call to send someone paper, that probably means you are doing Serious Business. The ROI on influencing Serious Business is just astounding.
        aberkowitz 16y ago
        Resume paper sounds like the Monster Cable of paper.
        barrkel 16y ago
        I don't think that's an accurate analogy. It doesn't matter what your digital cables are made of, so long as noise doesn't go above the threshold. Cheap copier paper, on the other hand, looks and feels like crap. The only reason you print stuff on paper is to communicate with another human being, and the paper is part of the message. I wouldn't quite go as far as the business cards scene in American Psycho (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoIvd3zzu4Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoIvd3zzu4Y) though.
        jrockway 16y ago
        In the sense that Monster Cable is printing money, and cotton paper ("resume paper") is what the government prints money on?
        chc 16y ago
        Only if the intended recipient of your document is an HDMI port. HDMI ports don't care about what you give them as long as it fits and transmits the correct data. Humans are somewhat more subjective and have emotional responses to things, and it's in your interset to influence those responses to work in your favor.
        aberkowitz 16y ago
        In order to determine the value of resume paper over "regular" copy paper, I will go out and buy some this week to evaluate.
- BRadmin 16y ago
  Your comment reminded me of how a lot of sales training / pick-up artist gaming revolves around neuro-linguistic programming. Mirroring & matching, imitating the body language, tone, speed, diction of those you interact with, is an important facet of NLP and subsequently the art of persuasion - and as an aside, having preset rules to follow makes one feel as though they are playing a 'role' and acting, thereby increasing confidence as well.
terra_t 16y ago
I made it halfway through Meisner training in acting before life got in the way. One thing I got out of it is this trick of overlaying my avatar in the virtual world with an image of somebody else, often a cartoon character. It may sound crazy, but I gain the ability to do all kinds of things that I wouldn't do otherwise: for instance, my most powerful character greatly increases my animal charm and also my functional (physical) flexibility. (mostly because she can play through the pain) Unfortunately she's not a very nice person in she's got high blood pressure.
jiaaro 16y ago
If the internet has taught us anything, it's that anonymity makes people comfortable doing things they otherwise wouldn't dream of.
- trafficlight 16y ago
  I believe you are referencing the GIF theory. http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19/ http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19/
PStamatiou 16y ago
While I did not notice this myself, a past girlfriend said I acted differently and felt more comfortable when I was wearing my glasses, as if they were something to hide behind.(compared to when I was wearing my contacts).
- sahillavingia 16y ago
  Anecdotal evidence wins again!
jscore 16y ago
or just be confident instead of using a mask as a crutch.
barrkel 16y ago
I'm sure there are similar effects behind the armour of business suits.
mkramlich 16y ago
for example, bank robbers
m-photonic 16y ago
I read somewhere that there was a period in the 18th century when Venetians started wearing Carnival masks year round (ie, not just during Carnival). I can't find my original source, but Wikipedia offers something along similar lines: "It tends to be the main type of mask worn during the Carnival. It was used also on many other occasions as a device for hiding the wearer's identity and social status. It would permit the wearer to act more freely in cases where he or she wanted to interact with other members of the society outside the bounds of identity and everyday convention." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_of_Venice#Bauta http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_of_Venice#Bauta)
wccrawford 16y ago
No, wearing a mask can cause you to be more confident. It's not a guarantee.

22 points by sahillavingia 16y ago

Taking this a step further, when it comes to sales, the type of "mask" you use often is the phone. Over the phone, your presentation (your tone, speed, diction) can change depending upon the person on the other end - as it should.

sahillavingia 16y ago
Very true. It applies to emails too. However, often the customer "forgets" that leading to mindless bashing, but I guess that's a compromise. :)
- gatsby 16y ago
  Great point about emails. At my last office, there was a guy named Robert who was a VP. He was usually a casual guy and signed his emails with "Rob" But, anytime he'd ask someone for a favor or give instructions in an email, he'd always sign with "Robert M. Lastname III, Vice President" Tacky, but material for countless inter-office jokes.
  - frossie 16y ago
    Hence the old joke about having a Ph.D. being most useful when you have to write a letter to your bank.
    - patio11 16y ago
      Speaking of which: a long time ago, I worked at an office supply company and had the privilege of attending a lecture by a guy who had made selling paper his life's work. I send maybe two or three paper letters a year, and if they're designed to go to a human being I always write them on paper which screams I Am The King Of Papers. (I didn't believe such a thing existed, but try putting one sheet of it on a table with 40 sheets of assorted office paper. Anybody can pick it out, instantly, from several feet away.) It costs about $15 for less than a ream and is usually sold as something like "resume paper" (300 sheets -- a ream is 500, a carton is 10 reams, and a carton of generic office paper should cost around $30 ~ $40). One pack will last you about a decade. For those of us in the Internet generation, if you have a call to send someone paper, that probably means you are doing Serious Business. The ROI on influencing Serious Business is just astounding.
      - aberkowitz 16y ago
        Resume paper sounds like the Monster Cable of paper.
        barrkel 16y ago
        I don't think that's an accurate analogy. It doesn't matter what your digital cables are made of, so long as noise doesn't go above the threshold. Cheap copier paper, on the other hand, looks and feels like crap. The only reason you print stuff on paper is to communicate with another human being, and the paper is part of the message. I wouldn't quite go as far as the business cards scene in American Psycho (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoIvd3zzu4Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoIvd3zzu4Y) though.
        jrockway 16y ago
        In the sense that Monster Cable is printing money, and cotton paper ("resume paper") is what the government prints money on?
        chc 16y ago
        Only if the intended recipient of your document is an HDMI port. HDMI ports don't care about what you give them as long as it fits and transmits the correct data. Humans are somewhat more subjective and have emotional responses to things, and it's in your interset to influence those responses to work in your favor.
        aberkowitz 16y ago
        In order to determine the value of resume paper over "regular" copy paper, I will go out and buy some this week to evaluate.
BRadmin 16y ago
Your comment reminded me of how a lot of sales training / pick-up artist gaming revolves around neuro-linguistic programming. Mirroring & matching, imitating the body language, tone, speed, diction of those you interact with, is an important facet of NLP and subsequently the art of persuasion - and as an aside, having preset rules to follow makes one feel as though they are playing a 'role' and acting, thereby increasing confidence as well.

terra_t 16y ago

I made it halfway through Meisner training in acting before life got in the way. One thing I got out of it is this trick of overlaying my avatar in the virtual world with an image of somebody else, often a cartoon character. It may sound crazy, but I gain the ability to do all kinds of things that I wouldn't do otherwise: for instance, my most powerful character greatly increases my animal charm and also my functional (physical) flexibility. (mostly because she can play through the pain) Unfortunately she's not a very nice person in she's got high blood pressure.

jiaaro 16y ago

If the internet has taught us anything, it's that anonymity makes people comfortable doing things they otherwise wouldn't dream of.

trafficlight 16y ago
I believe you are referencing the GIF theory. http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19/ http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19/

PStamatiou 16y ago

While I did not notice this myself, a past girlfriend said I acted differently and felt more comfortable when I was wearing my glasses, as if they were something to hide behind.(compared to when I was wearing my contacts).

sahillavingia 16y ago
Anecdotal evidence wins again!

jscore 16y ago

or just be confident instead of using a mask as a crutch.

barrkel 16y ago

I'm sure there are similar effects behind the armour of business suits.

mkramlich 16y ago

for example, bank robbers

m-photonic 16y ago

I read somewhere that there was a period in the 18th century when Venetians started wearing Carnival masks year round (ie, not just during Carnival). I can't find my original source, but Wikipedia offers something along similar lines: "It tends to be the main type of mask worn during the Carnival. It was used also on many other occasions as a device for hiding the wearer's identity and social status. It would permit the wearer to act more freely in cases where he or she wanted to interact with other members of the society outside the bounds of identity and everyday convention." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_of_Venice#Bauta http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_of_Venice#Bauta)

wccrawford 16y ago

No, wearing a mask can cause you to be more confident. It's not a guarantee.