About this quote

Sometimes the easiest way to handle social pressure is to stop pretending you have everything figured out. Wearing a look of total bewilderment acts like a natural shield against people who expect you to be perfect. It keeps people guessing and lowers their expectations of your next move. Why sweat under the pressure of constant performance when you can just choose to look happily lost? Give yourself permission to be clueless occasionally; it is incredibly freeing.

When to use it

• Use this when your nosy uncle starts asking about your five-year career plan at Thanksgiving dinner. It is a quick way to derail the interrogation without starting an argument.
• Recall this mind-set when you are in a confusing corporate meeting and everyone is using buzzwords you do not understand. Looking visibly lost might actually force the speaker to explain themselves clearly.
• Tell this to your gym partner when they ask why you are staring blankly at the complex digital screen of a new treadmill. It lightens the mood before you both laugh and figure out how to press quick start.
• Think of this when your teenager explains a new internet slang term that makes absolutely no sense to you. A blank stare is a perfectly honest response that saves you from trying too hard to look cool.