Theory of mind
The cognitive capacity to attribute mental states — beliefs, desires, intentions, emotions — to oneself and others, and to recognise that other people's mental states may differ from one's own. It is what allows us to predict and interpret the behaviour of others as driven by inner experience rather than mere stimulus-response. Developmental psychologists test for it with false-belief tasks, and its absence or impairment features prominently in research on autism. It has also become a popular handle for everyday social intuition: noticing when someone is bored, hurt, or trying to redirect a conversation.