"I wonder if everyone talks with their true feelings."
Sora murmured in the café.
Hiyori asked curiously. "What brought that up suddenly?"
"I was just talking with a friend. It felt superficial somehow."
Leo showed interest. "That might be a self-presentation issue."
"Self-presentation?" Sora asked.
"How people control how they show themselves," Leo explained. "Everyone does it."
Hiyori supplemented. "In Japanese, it's close to 'honne and tatemae' - true feelings versus social face."
Sora thought. "But isn't that being a liar?"
"It's different from lying," Hiyori answered. "Presenting a socially appropriate self. That itself isn't bad."
Leo gave examples. "Showing your best self in an interview. Making a good impression on a date. That's natural behavior."
"But," Sora said, "isn't it tiring to keep hiding true feelings?"
Hiyori nodded. "Indeed. Self-presentation has cognitive costs."
"Cognitive costs?"
"Energy to manage the gap between your real self and the self you're showing," Hiyori explained.
Leo supplemented. "In psychology, there are concepts of true self, ideal self, and social self."
Sora wrote in her notebook. "True self is the real you?"
"Yes. Ideal self is who you want to be. Social self is what you show others."
Hiyori continued. "When the gap between these three is large, psychological stress occurs."
Sora realized. "Mine might all be different."
"Many people are like that," Leo said. "It's rare to have them completely aligned."
Hiyori asked. "Sora, why do you hide your true feelings?"
Sora thought. "I'm afraid of not being accepted. Don't want to be disliked."
"Defensive self-presentation," Hiyori said. "A strategy to avoid negative evaluation."
Leo explained. "The opposite is acquisitive self-presentation. A strategy to gain positive evaluation."
Sora understood. "I'm being defensive?"
"It seems so," Hiyori said gently. "But there must be reasons."
Sora recalled the past. "Once, I spoke my true feelings and was laughed at."
"That experience created your current self-presentation pattern," Leo analyzed.
Hiyori supplemented. "A type of defense mechanism. Learning to avoid the same pain."
Sora asked. "So it stays like this forever?"
"It can change," Hiyori answered. "But it involves risk."
"Risk?"
"By showing true feelings, there's possibility of rejection. But also possibility of true acceptance."
Leo said, "In psychology, there's a concept of authenticity. Being yourself."
"What happens without authenticity?" Sora asked.
Hiyori answered. "You can only build superficial relationships. Deep connections require some self-disclosure."
Sora worried. "But revealing everything is scary too."
"It doesn't have to be everything," Leo said. "Gradual self-disclosure. Little by little, to trustworthy people."
Hiyori smiled. "For example, right now here, Sora, you spoke some true feelings."
Sora noticed. "That's true."
"That's the first step," Hiyori acknowledged. "Even if not perfect authenticity, little by little."
Leo supplemented. "There are also cultural differences. Japan has honne-tatemae culture. Different self-disclosure standards than the West."
Sora asked. "Then what level is appropriate?"
"It depends on situation and relationship," Hiyori answered. "Depth of self-disclosure differs between first meeting and close friends."
Leo said, "What's important is that you're choosing. Not hiding because forced, but strategically selecting."
Sora understood. "Hiding true feelings isn't bad itself. But should be aware of it and use it selectively?"
"Exactly," Hiyori nodded. "Unconsciously hiding continuously is different from consciously managing."
Sora wrote in her notebook. "Behind the habit of hiding true feelings are past wounds and fears"
Leo acknowledged. "And understanding that is the first step to freedom."
Hiyori said, "Gradually increase safe places where you can show true feelings."
Sora smiled. "This might be one of them."
The three quietly drank their coffee. The habit of hiding true feelings might gradually be unraveled.