This concept describes our tendency to think we can read other people’s emotions just by looking at their face or listening to their tone of voice. This illusion can be dangerous because it can lead us to misunderstand people’s intentions and emotions.
For example, in the case of Amanda Knox, the Italian police misinterpreted her behavior after her roommate was murdered as indicative of her guilt. They believed that her facial expressions and body language showed that she was lying, even though she was telling the truth. This led to a wrongful conviction, which was later overturned.
Gladwell uses this and other examples to show that we need to be more cautious when interpreting other people’s behavior.
