I’m going to let you in on a secret: most people want you to succeed. They do. Whether it’s your partner, parents, or kids—or an audience of strangers. The truth is that most people are “rooting for you,” writes psychologist Lybi Ma. “Why wouldn’t they?” Of course, our minds are terrible at absorbing this idea. We remember the one person who teased us in high school better than the hundred who were casually friendly. We stew over the one frown, as the saying goes, in a sea of smiles.
