Rashomon effect

Overview

The Rashomon effect (when people remember the same event in different ways) refers to a phenomenon where several people involved in the same event each give different, yet equally plausible, accounts of it. It comes from director Akira Kurosawa's film Rashomon (1950), and it is a concept used across a wide range of fields, including psychology, sociology, and law. It is considered a classic example showing that human memory and perception are subjective.

Question boxes and the Rashomon effect

An anonymous question box is also one of the places where the Rashomon effect happens. In text-only communication, nonverbal information such as facial expressions and tone of voice is missing, so the same message can be interpreted differently depending on who reads it.

Take the question "You've changed lately" as an example. The sender may mean it purely as a compliment, while the person receiving it may take it as sarcasm or criticism. To followers watching from the outside, it may look like something else again.

How to reduce misunderstandings

You can't prevent the Rashomon effect completely, but there are ways to reduce it. When sending a question, write specifically so your intention gets across. Writing "I feel like your recent posts are more upbeat than before, and I like it" instead of "You've changed" leaves less room for misunderstanding.

When answering, get in the habit of reading the intention behind a question in a positive light. Even if a question could be taken as mean, first consider the possibility that it was sent with good intentions. Since it's hard to read the sender's true meaning accurately from anonymous text, one way of thinking is to choose the interpretation that makes things easier for you.