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The idea of having an alter ego used to sound fake to me.I never liked the thought of pretending to be someone else.
It reminds me of cheap guru tactics and hype marketing 🤷🏼♀️
But then I learned there’s actually a powerful psychological effect behind it.
Researchers call it the Batman Effect: creating an alternative version of yourself that helps you deal with challenges, anxiety, or fear — like public speaking or showing up online.
It’s how many creators build confidence, find their authentic voice, and become memorable.
I realized I’ve been doing this without knowing it.
For me, it started with a color. I never used to wear pink, like it, or use it in any of my work. But now it’s become a symbol in my brand. A reminder of a new mindset: learning while doing, a bias towards action and sharing even though I’m not ready. A complete 180 shift to my overthinking academic inner workings.
The pink world of Audacious Introverts
Today we’re going deeper into how to leverage the Batman effect.
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Framework #27: the Batman effect
What stops many people from taking that first step into online visibility?
Finally sending out that first newsletter edition or commit to produce a yoututbe series is often sabotaged by the anxiety of speaking up and the vulnerability of sharing your ideas.
A common creative trick to push past those fears is adopting a temporary alternative character: a version of yourself who’s bolder, funnier, or more outspoken.
Researchers call this adopting an ‘alter ego’, a self-distancing mechanism that helps you tap into empowerment, confidence and determination instead of being held back by fear.
Here are a few examples of how the Batman Effect shows up in the creator space and helps people build memorable brands:
Ali Abdaal: Even after getting eye surgery, he reports wearing his fake glasses in videos and talks. They help him step into the mindset of “Young Professor X from X-Men”. A simple trick to reduce nervousness before hitting record.
Kristin Kenzy. She leans into self-deprecating, disaster storytelling in her newsletter Drunk Business Advice. Her voice blends humor, honesty, and exaggeration, using words like “shitposting” and “ruining my own companies.” Instead of becoming someone else entirely, she amplifies her own persona to make her authentic stories stand out.
ByteSize. In the B2B world, the team at Experts Exchange built their newsletter voice around a “Tony Stark vibe: witty, smart, confident, and technically sharp — but never condescending”. It gives their content a distinct personality readers remember.
The team at Storyarb recently shared a great matrix for finding your own distinctive voice or persona:
More Resources
Kristin’s newsletter Drunk Business Advice is seriously one of the best when it comes to storytelling.
I’ve been journaling freestyle for the past years, but Matt Ragland actually shares some valuable tips on maintaining a productive journaling habit.
Question for you
I collected Field Notes since my last year of PhD. Now, I am trying to assemble a coherent deep dived into the feeling of being unqualified, the curse of knowledge and big picture thinking.
Care to share, too? If any of these topics resonate with you, send me a reply to this email ✉️
Keep up the audacity,
Laura
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