“Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.”&nbsp;

The Dunning-Kruger Effect is the tendency for people to misjudge their abilities. People with less than average abilities tend to overestimate their true abilities, while those with higher than average abilities tend to not realize how much better they are. That is, some people are too stupid to know how stupid they are, while smart people assume most can do what they can.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect

Those with the loudest voices often have the most confidence but little competence. For example, pundits on both sides of the political spectrum speak for hours about topics they know little about. It’s common to see the news cycle dominated by both liberal and conservative hosts expounding endlessly about science, economics, foreign policy, medicine, etc.&nbsp;What are the odds that they are experts in all of these, let alone one of them? Then where do they get such confidence? Yup, they suffer from the Dunning-Kruger effect.

The Loudest Are The Stupidest

The more educated are quiet. Those in the Valley of Despair feel like frauds. For some reason, despite ample evidence to the contrary, some of those on their way towards mastering a subject feel like they aren’t really that educated, their recognition is due to luck, or they have tricked those around them. This is common with PhD students, as they experience high levels of depression, even though they know far more about their chosen field than the general population.

The Paradox Of Knowledge

Perhaps the biggest threat to society is the growing antiscience movement, which is fueled by the Dunning-Kruger effect. Those on Mount Stupid have the biggest influence, often supporting antiscience candidates, intentionally or unintentionally spreading misinformation, or even helping to create antiscience legislation. Because of this, the public’s trust in science is alarmingly low.

Debunking Science With Noise

In April of 1995, McArthur Wheeler covered his face in lemon juice and robbed two Pittsburgh area banks. He reasoned that the lemon juice would make his face invisible to security cameras, in the…

Stashed ideas

The Dunning-Kruger Effect Explains Why Society Is So Screwed-Up

When white people hear the words privilege or privileged they almost always react negatively to the implication that they have not earned what they have or where they are in life.&nbsp;

7 White Privileges I Didn’t Realize I Was Enjoying

We instinctively recoil at the term ‘white privilege’. We especially balk at the implication that it proves every white liberal’s worst fear — that we’re racist. It doesn’t.

Organizations spend a whopping $82.5 billion on training annually, or $1,111 per employee, according to Statista. But training is only successful if the learning is.
Most conferences and online seminars are focused on success during the session, without sufficient attention to what happens later.

Why most training programs fail

<ul><li>Reflection is a critical part of learning. After a presentation, take a moment to recall the main takeaways. Think about how you can apply them to your job, team, or industry.</li><li>The best way to learn is to teach. Summarizing and sharing your knowledge with someone is also a good way to retrieve information. </li><li>Think about how you can apply what you are learning. During and after the session, link the learning to a situation at work.</li><li>As you get ready for your next training opportunity, plan to keep the learning going.</li></ul>

Make the most of your next learning opportunity

Whether you’re attending an interesting lecture, conference, or training session, here’s how to get better at remembering—and accessing—what you learn.


Margaret Richardson
@margarerichard

CHARLES DARWIN

The Dunning-Kruger Effect Explains Why Society Is So Screwed-Up

7 White Privileges I Didn’t Realize I Was Enjoying

7 White Privileges I Didn’t Realize I Was Enjoying

Why most training programs fail

How to retain more of what you learn at work

Margaret Richardson@margarerichard

CHARLES DARWIN

The Dunning-Kruger Effect Explains Why Society Is So Screwed-Up

7 White Privileges I Didn’t Realize I Was Enjoying

7 White Privileges I Didn’t Realize I Was Enjoying

Why most training programs fail

How to retain more of what you learn at work

Margaret Richardson
@margarerichard