It is very likely that many of us have had a chance to encounter the ubiquitous know-it-all once in our lives. Well, such an incredibly self-righteous person, presumably smart, but only until the time comes to prove it. Almost immediately, it becomes obvious that his work is either mediocre or downright bad. Scientists call this behavior the Dunning-Kruger effect. It is observed when a person does not doubt his own competence and experiences the illusion of superiority over others. Most striking, however, is that virtually everyone is affected by the Dunning-Kruger effect. But how is this possible and what to do with these?
Who is subject to the illusion of knowledge?
As a rule, such people tend to think that they work better than others in various fields, be it healthcare, business or education. Ironically, those with the least talent tend to exaggerate their capabilities. Research has shown that people who did poorly on a variety of tests, including grammar, math, and chess, rated themselves as highly as real experts. But who is more susceptible to the Dunning-Kruger effect? In fact, everyone can overlook the fact that they are incompetent in some matters.
This effect was first discovered by David Dunning of Cornell University and his graduate student Justin Kruger back in 1999. They argued that people who are ignorant of some issues are in a quandary that consists of two parts. First, such people often behave stupidly due to lack of knowledge. Secondly, the lack of knowledge prevents them from understanding where and what exactly they did wrong. Simply put, ignorant people are too ignorant to realize how ignorant they are.
Although we often turn a blind eye to our own weaknesses when we experience the Dunning-Kruger Effect, people tend to admit their mistakes if they notice them. Those who question their own skills are usually willing to admit that they don't know much. For their part, experts not only admit that they are knowledgeable, but think that everyone else is as smart as they are.
It turns out that competent and extremely incompetent people end up having misconceptions about themselves and others. Those who do not doubt their own righteousness are often unable to realize their own shortcomings. And in the case when a person is really competent, it is difficult for him to admit that he is different from others. Moreover, many people who adhere to logical or scientifically unfounded ideas tend to argue that their beliefs are backed by "common sense." It may seem to them that so they know everything they need, and do not want to admit that they do not know much.
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But if the Dunning-Kruger effect makes your own shortcomings invisible, how do you know how competent or incompetent you really are? According to the authors of the now classic study, the best option is to ask those around you what they think of you and actually take into account what they are saying. It's also important to be open to new experiences.
Yet the Dunning-Kruger effect is not a disadvantage; it is a product of our subjective understanding of the world. If anything, it is a warning against the assumption that we are always right and emphasizes the importance of maintaining a critical eye on our own abilities.
Lyubov Sokovikova
