Every person is different, a conclusion of their life experiences to date very probably but when our worlds collide, we so often completely misrepresent ourselves or misunderstand those we seek to cherish?

Just wondering what peoples perception of this statement, do we always wear masks to protect ourselves and how deep does 'I want to get to know you' really mean?"

It might not be about wanting to protect yourself. I could just be trying to make a good impression with a woman and it's not necessarily about being fake but about putting your best foot forward and downplaying things that might put her off. That's kind of about confidence, which women supposedly like. For example, I can act like a cool guy that's smooth with women and I might be sometimes but maybe I don't always feel so confident about that. It isn't necessarily the case that the "real me" is a bag of insecurities but sometimes it might seem like that.

We always wear masks to protect ourselves.
But that is not the sole, solitary purpose for masks or why people wear them. They have utility to make life more efficient.

For example people use (behavioral rather than literal like halloween for the pedants) masks to foster communication between groups or individuals from separate groups, especially if there is greater specialization in communication.

Masks can be as simple as a collection of behavior and words that tend to have (somewhat, cultural) universal meaning, and therefore universal associations. So if they find themselves in a new situation, they fall back on certain behavior in order to manipulate a known response in order to be able to acquire feedback they understand. e.g. "class clown" mask, or "always be polite in church" mask.

Sometimes a mask is used to avoid exposure to something that is unwanted.

Some people try to have a ton of shallow masks for different situations, others try to make one big mask they attempt to apply to all situations.


Depends on the context of the conversation that statement comes up in.

I mean people sometimes say "I want to get to know you" on a first date, or in an email, because they know to some people it conveys an earnestness and desire to stick around and not use the other person for sex.

So using that phrase as a tactic to manipulate a certain reaction and perspective from the other person is part of their "mask."

How deep "I want to get to know you" really means depends on who says it, why it's said, and if it's coming from a part of their mask or their "raw" personality.

...Which means there is no universal answer which you can use to stick in your mask towards people.

Or a sour apple.

I now understand why some people choose not to show their real identity on here or other sites such as...got it!