We tend to believe we can “read” intentions, but most of the time we’re not reading anything — we’re predicting. The brain automatically generates explanations for someone’s behavior, stitching together assumptions into a story that feels accurate. This isn’t intuition; it’s a cognitive shortcut. And when we trust it too much, misunderstandings become almost guaranteed.
For a deeper dive into why this happens, take a look at Attributing Intentions: A Cognitive Mechanism, Not an Intuition: https://www.cognitived.science/art-11. The article shows how our minds simulate motives and why those simulations can feel more real than the facts themselves. https://atlas.cognitived.science/
