Why We Use Avoidance Strategies to Protect Our Deepest Thoughts and Desires
Why We Use Avoidance Strategies to Protect Our Deepest Thoughts and Desires
A penny for your thoughts may not be enough
A penny for your thoughts.
A simple, benign phrase you may have heard several times in your life, typically from someone attempting to engage you in conversation when you’re distracted from the present moment.
You may have even spoken the words yourself. Perhaps you’ve noticed another person’s attention has drifted and they have that glazed, dreamy look in their eyes. Your curiosity is aroused, enough to offer them a small payment to share with you exactly what’s so interesting that keeps their focus engaged — and diverted from those around them.
While a polite gesture, interrupting someone’s daydreaming session with these five words may not always garner the answer you’re looking for — or the real reason for the other person’s apparent disconnect.
In some cases — rather than an honest share — you may receive a neutral response intended to satisfy the request and take you off track of pursuing what’s really on their mind. And in other situations, you may be in for a surprise in the form of a fabricated story meant to entertain — or persuade you.