The Masking Burden (The Mechanics of Cognition)

The Mechanics of CognitionEpisode: The Masking BurdenOn the Cognitive Load of Being Hard to Read — and a Smaller Way OutBy The Mercer JournalOverviewYou can perform well in an interaction—say the right things, respond on cue—and still walk away drained.This episode examines why.Not as a personality issue, and not strictly as a clinical label, but as a load problem: what happens when a conversation requires constant internal management to stay stable. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wardmercer.substack.com