The spotlight effect is the tendency to believe that other people notice our appearance and behaviour more than they really do. We are at the centre of our own world, so we assume our mistakes and clothes are obvious to everyone else. In a 2000 study by Thomas Gilovich and colleagues, students who wore an embarrassing Barry Manilow T-shirt guessed that about half of observers would remember it, but the actual number was far lower. Research has repeatedly found this overestimation to be very common. Psychologists suggest being aware of the bias can help people worry less about small social slips.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.