Proud, embarrassed, cocky, shy....

[coggles]

Why do people pretend to be what they are not?

[Janetex]

Judgmental people always imagine that they are constantly being judged by others and are the most insecure/pretentious. The less judgmental the person, the less insecure/pretentious.

[sft42]

Or alternately....reality is boring...we live it every day and most people see no harm in spicing up the drab and mundane (to them at least) with a little sparkle.

[beenee]

It's because we are social animals.. these displays help us interact with others in an effective way, in relation to our particular nature. While growing up we learn that certain behaviours ellicit certian reactions and so we pretend to induce those reactions.

[shybearuk]

Speaking as someone cursed with low self-esteem and chronic shyness, I find it very odd that some people can actually 'pretend' to be confident. I wouldn't have the first idea where to start!

Put me in a social situation and I go to pieces. There's no way I can 'act' while I'm in that state.

Any tips?

[coggles]

Thank you all for you comments so far - fascinating answers. I haven't commented before now because I am genuinely interested in different peoples' responses. I know how I feel personally and how I deal with different situations, and a couple of you obviously cope in a similar fashion. Us human beings are very complex, aren't we?