Spotlight effect
Etymology
Named by psychologists Thomas Gilovich and Kenneth Savitsky around 2000, using the image of a stage spotlight you feel is on you. In their experiments, students made to wear an embarrassing T-shirt were sure roughly twice as many onlookers had noticed as actually had.
noun · /SPOT-lyt ih-FEKT/
The tendency to overestimate how much other people notice and remember your appearance and behavior.
What it names
Why a stain on your shirt or a stumbled sentence feels catastrophic — we assume everyone is watching as closely as we are.
Example
The spotlight effect had her replaying one awkward joke for days; not one guest recalled it by morning.
Related idea
False consensus effect is about assuming others share your views; the spotlight effect is about assuming they share your focus on you.