The seatmate conversation

It's back to work here at IPoL, after a fantastic and relaxing Thanksgiving break. Being back to work reminds me that most people in the world don't really "get" what I do. This isn't normally a problem, being as I am usually surrounded by people who not only get what I do, but basically do the same job. But sometimes, when I do need to confront large numbers of non-academics, this fact is driven home to me rather forcefully.

Usually this happens when I'm on an airplane or a train and I strike up a casually friendly conversation with whoever has the wonderful good fortune to be sitting next to me. Oh hi, how are you doing, where are you going, gosh that security line was long, the usual. At some point, of course, the jobs question will come up: "So, what do you do?" There are no good options for how to respond to this. Trust me.

Me: I'm a psychologist.

Seatmate: Ooh, you read minds???

Me: Um, no.

Seatmate: Right, so you're going to ask me about my mother and about dreams and stuff?

Me: Er...not really. I work with children.

Seatmate: Wow, that's great, helping out those poor kids with emotional problems and learning disabilities and all that. Gosh, I just don't know if I'd have the energy to ---

Me: No, actually, I'm not a clinician. I'm a research psychologist. I work with normal, typically developing children. I'm trying to find out how they think and learn about the world.

Seatmate: *blink* *blink* Oh. *puzzled silence*

And that's when it's gone well. Usually, I don't get past the first round of this conversation because, as soon as people hear that I'm a psychologist, they start right in on their personal problems and I can't get a word in edgewise until we've landed in O'Hare and I have to dash for my connection.

Lately, I've taken to avoiding the word "psychologist" altogether and telling people that I'm a cognitive scientist. People still don't know what that is, but at least it sounds vaguely respectable and doesn't engender a host of bad Freudian stereotypes. Or I just stick in my earphones and fall asleep. Humans can be so tedious sometimes, especially when you study them for a living.