BBC 6 minute English-You think you’re invisible

Transcript of the podcast

Note: This is not a word for word transcript

Neil: Welcome to 6 Minute English, the programme where we explore an interesting topic and bring you six items of useful vocabulary. I’m Neil

Dan: And I’m Dan

Neil: Now, Dan, have you ever wanted to become invisible

Dan: Invisible – impossible to see. Of course! Who hasn’t

Neil: Well how about this: most of us think we are in fact invisible, at least some of the time… We’ll be looking at the ‘invisibility cloak illusion’ in this programme

Dan: Fascinating. And in that phrase we heard our first three words. Invisibility – the state of being invisible. A cloak is a long piece of material worn like a coat around the shoulders

Neil: And the third word in that phrase – an illusion – is something that seems real but isn’t

Dan: OK, question time. Which of these stories features an invisibility cloak? Is it

a) The Hobbit

b) Harry Potter Or

c) The Invisible Man

Neil: I know they are all connected to invisibility, but I’m gonna say…a) The Hobbit

Dan: Ok – we’ll reveal the answer later on. Now, let’s hear more about this invisibility cloak illusion. What’s the theory, Neil

Neil: Right – imagine you’re sitting in a crowded train. People are busy looking at phones and books, but they’re also looking at each other

Dan: They’re ‘people-watching’, as we call it. Yes. Yes, I do that. I do it a lot, if I’m honest

Neil: So – where does the invisibility part come in

Dan: A team of scientists from Yale University did some experiments on this. Commenting on the research here is neuroscientist Dr Catherine Loveday from Westminster University. What did the Yale team find

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Dr Catherine Loveday, Neuroscientist, Westminster University

So this study, they asked people that, first they did a survey and they asked people sat in a canteen how much they were watching somebody, and how much they thought those people were observing them. And there was always a mismatch. People always thought they were more observational than the people who were watching them

Dan: So, people think they observe others more than others watch them. Everyone thinks they aren’t observed very much – it’s almost as if they’re invisible to others – or wearing an invisibility cloak

Neil: And the difference between how much they are actually being watched and think they’re being watched is what she called a mismatch. It’s the difference between two things – they’re two things which don’t match

Dan: In other words – it’s not true that people aren’t watching us – which is why the idea of having an invisibility cloak is just an illusion. This next bit is interesting. Two people were asked to wait in a room. Then they were each asked to make two lists: one, what they noticed about the other person; and two, what they thought the other person noticed about them

Neil: So list one was always longer than list two. Not only that – but there was also an important difference in the content of the lists

Dan: Let’s hear again from neuroscientist Dr Catherine Loveday. What was the difference

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Dr Catherine Loveday, Neuroscientist, Westminster University

When people are observing you they’re doing it in a non-judgemental, fairly empathic way – and not actually noticing the things that you’re self-conscious about. So if for example you feel self-conscious about a spot on your nose, or something that you’re wearing, that won’t be what they’re noticing. It’s a much less judgemental form of observation

Neil: Right, so even if we’re feeling self-conscious about something – that means feeling extra aware of an aspect of ourselves – maybe our appearance or our clothes – we needn’t be

Dan: Yes, you don’t need to feel self-conscious. People aren’t being judgemental

Neil: And being judgemental means being critical

Dan: That’s good news. So even though all I’m thinking about is how badly I need a haircut, the other person is probably noticing something completely different. Back to the question about the invisibility cloak. Which story is it in

Neil: I said The Hobbit

Dan: And it was in fact – Harry Potter. Not only does the garment make you impossible to see, it also protects you against magic spells

Neil: Wow – I need one of those

Dan: In The Hobbit, it’s a ring that makes you invisible, and in The Invisible Man, the main character uses chemicals to achieve the same effect

Neil: Now, before we become invisible ourselves, how about we go through today’s words

Dan: Marvellous. First we had invisible – which meansimpossible to see. You could say that stars are invisible during the day

Neil: They’re only visible at night

Dan: We also had cloak – who would wear a cloak? Maybe a king or a monk? Or maybe you, Neil

Neil: I’m sure I could look good in a cloak – that’s a long piece of material worn over the shoulders. What about illusion

Dan: Illusions appear to be true, but they’re not. It can describe an idea: you could say a politician has the illusion that everything he says is true. Then we had mismatch – which can refer to the difference between two things which perhaps should be similar: there’s a mismatch between what Michael says and what he does

Neil: Who’s Michael

Dan: Just an example! You could also say that Michael and Simone are an unlikely couple – they seem very different – they’re a bit of a mismatch

Neil: What is it with you and Michael?! One, he doesn’t exist, and two, I think you’re being judgemental

Dan: Well, I’m criticising him so, yeah, you’re right – I’m being judgemental. Perhaps I should stop. It’s just that… it’s just that I’m in love with Simone myself, and I get all nervous and self-conscious when I see her

Neil: You mean you become embarrassed about what she might think of you – you become self-conscious

Dan: I do

Neil: Even though she doesn’t exist either

Dan: Well, only in my examples. Sometimes I wish I really did have an invisibility cloak

Neil: Hey, hang on, Dan – where have you gone

Dan: Haha – very funny, I’m still perfectly visible. Time to go – but do visit our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube pages, and of course our website

Neil: Goodbye for now

Both: Bye