What’s everybody thinking? Compassionate Eye Foundation/Martin Barraud
Meet Sally and her flatmate Andy. Sally has made a birthday cake for Andy, and leaves it in the fridge while she pops out to buy some candles. While she’s gone, Andy sneaks into the kitchen, takes the cake and hides it on a shelf to consume at leisure. When Sally comes back, where does she think the cake will be?
If you answered “the fridge” then congratulations: you understand that, based on what they know, people can have different views from you. You possess a “theory of mind” – something that informs your every waking moment, says Josep Call, a psychologist at the University of St Andrews, UK. “When we get dressed in the morning, we’re constantly thinking about what other people think about us.” No other animal can match our ability, making it the essential lubricant for the social interactions that set humans apart.
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Take the arts. Artists must be able to imagine what their audiences will think of their characters. Without a theory of mind, there would be no compelling TV soaps, sculptures or books. Some think William Shakespeare must have had a particularly well-developed theory of mind to create such rich, complex characters.
Mind reading is also crucial for societal norms. “People not only respond to what you do, but to what you intend to do,” says Call. If you hit someone with your car, the difference between a verdict…
