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Update: my boss said 'great job' on a Tuesday and I spent the rest of the week waiting for the catch
Got a $500 spot bonus last Tuesday for a report I cranked out in an afternoon, and my boss actually said 'this is the best one yet' in front of the team. Spent Wednesday and Thursday convinced I'd messed something up and he was setting me up for bad news, but Friday he just asked if I wanted to lead the next client call. Has anyone else had a good week at work make them more nervous than a bad one?
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charlie_ellis3d ago
There's a name for this. I read an article about how our brains are wired to treat good news as a setup for the fall, like we're always scanning for the hidden trap. It said the same part of the brain that handles fear lights up when something goes too well, because it can't tell the difference between "safe" and "too quiet." Your story fits that to a T. The bonus and the praise felt riskier than a bad review because at least with bad news you know where you stand. A coworker of mine got promoted last year and spent two weeks waiting to be told it was a mistake.
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