In all honesty, my new motto entering the lab was: “Act like you give a sht.”*
I would literally repeat it to myself before walking in.
Not because I don’t care — I do. I genuinely love research. I love thinking deeply, solving problems, contributing to something bigger than myself. But I realized something uncomfortable: sometimes caring internally is not enough.
People don’t just respond to the work you do. They respond to the energy you bring.
And sometimes? They need reassurance more than results.
They need visible enthusiasm. Smiles. A tone that says, “I’m excited to be here.” Even when the task is repetitive. Even when you’re tired. Even when you’ve run the same protocol three times and the data still looks questionable.
The truth is, I can be having the time of my life intellectually — and my face looks completely stone cold. Or so I’m told.
Apparently, my neutral face reads as uninterested.
So I learned something: if I want to be seen as invested, I sometimes have to show it more than feels natural. I have to play it up a little. Nod more. Smile more. Respond verbally instead of just internally processing.
It felt fake at first. Like I was performing.
But maybe it’s not fake. Maybe it’s just emotional translation.
Because leadership, collaboration, and trust aren’t built only on competence. They’re built on perception. On making people feel comfortable around you. On making your enthusiasm contagious instead of hidden.
I don’t think I should have to overperform emotion to be taken seriously. But I do think communication is part of professionalism. And if that means adjusting my outward expression to match my internal investment, then that’s a skill worth building.
Research is not just pipettes and protocols.
It’s people.
And if I want to be the kind of physician-scientist who leads teams one day, then learning how to visibly care might be just as important as actually caring.
So yes.
Act like you give a sh*t.
Not because you don’t.
But because sometimes caring quietly isn’t enough.
Rooting for ya,
Edidiong C.
Creating My Autobiography 