The Invisible Gorilla in Your Meeting

In 1999 there was a fascinating piece of research performed by psychologists Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris out of Harvard University.

Daniel and Christopher had a belief that when our focus is on particular object/item, we tend to miss a lot of other information. Earlier studies used quick flashes of simple shapes which seemingly went unnoticed (for the most part), they wanted to see if the same principle would apply with something “big”, obvious and remaining on screen for several seconds.

They sat down 200 people to watch a video on basketball. We’d encourage you to watch this video before reading on: (A version of the video here) (all research and video credits to Daniel Simons, Christopher Chabris and Viscog Productions).

For anyone who did not click on the youtube link or watch the video, some additional context here: People were asked to count “How many times the players wearing white passed the basketball” (some groups counted the team in black instead) – mid game a person dressed as a gorilla enters the scene, beats on its chest and exits once again.

The findings were as follows:

• Around half of the people did not notice the gorilla appear on screen
• People counting the team dressed in black were more likely to spot the gorilla (The black shirts were closer in color to the gorilla)
• Many people who did not see the gorilla were shocked when they replayed the video and assumed it was a different recording.

So what is the message here and how does it relate to us in 2026?

What we tend to focus on, we tend to see more of. The flip side is that what we are not focused on, we might not see at all, even when it’s huge. Think about the last conversation you had where you had a specific angle or agenda. Think about the activities or metrics you are measuring and how much other data is being missed?

A narrow hyper focus is beneficial and valuable when trying to accomplish a particular objective, that being said that laser focus may cause us to miss other important info and insights.

2 Suggestions to avoid unintentional “blind spots”

1. Borrow someone else’s eyes.
   The people who missed the gorilla weren’t careless, they were focused. Someone not counting the passes would have seen it straight away. So before a big decision, ask someone outside the task: “What am I not seeing?” Ideally someone who doesn’t share your goal or your metrics.
2. Stop counting, then look again.
   Focus is what creates the blind spot, so build in a moment where you deliberately drop the task. At the end of a meeting, a project review or a 1:1, step back from the agenda and ask, “What else is going on here?” You can’t see wide and narrow at the same time, so give each its own moment.

Focus isn’t the problem, it’s what helps us get things done. Just remember that while you’re busy counting passes, there may be a gorilla in the room.