While pandemic-era Zoom culture drew attention to individuals who joined meetings just long enough to say here before disappearing into the void, researchers believe a more ancient and insidious group used that moment to blend in, people who nod constantly to appear engaged but have not heard a single thing.
“Contrary to popular belief, this isn’t a post-COVID development,” said Dr. Ajay Paul, a researcher that studies the fascinating minds of these bobble heads. “This head-nodder has always been among us, a survival mechanism developed to help them endure long winded conversations and block out topics they’d rather not hear about. They existed during Zoom meetings, thriving during that period.”
According to the research, chronic nodders are less concerned with absorbing information and more focused on projecting the illusion of listening. Their tells include unwavering eye contact, occasional sounds of agreement, and near-constant nodding, all of which can easily trick the average speaker into believing they’re being heard. But experts say the façade crumbles quickly when you ask them a question.“That’s when the panic sets in,” noted Dr. Paul. “The nodding stops, the stammering starts, and they ask if you can repeat what you just said. What we can say is not every head nodder has malicious intent to ignore you. They’ve done it for so long that now they’re unable to listen, even if you’re screaming in their face.”
A good chunk of the audience took on a deer in headlights look after Dr.Paul screamed they were now taking questions.
