In areas ranging from pandemics, economic crises, energy, nuclear issues, sports, diets, politics, to gossip, everyone considers themselves an expert, eager to voice their opinions on various subjects, even when lacking knowledge. This phenomenon is called the Dunning-Kruger effect.
In the realm of social media, opinions flourish with an almost infinite audience for personal viewpoints. Individuals switch roles from being virologists to epidemiologists, or experts in international economics. While constructive, this dialogue has a flip side: everyone is convinced of being right, even when their convictions lack a solid foundation.
Do you know why this happens? It’s called the Dunning-Kruger effect, a psychological phenomenon that deceives the minds of those who know less (and think they know everything).
What is the Dunning-Kruger Effect?
Social psychology helps us understand why everyone feels like an expert. The Dunning-Kruger effect explains that in the minds of the most incompetent individuals, there’s a cognitive distortion making them believe they are, in contrast, highly competent.
Moreover, they question the words of those who are genuinely experts in the field. In contrast, truly competent people question themselves because they are aware of how complex and multifaceted things can be.
The Ignorance Paradox
The less someone knows about a certain thing, the more they believe they can speak about it with competence. No doubts arise for these individuals. They express their few ideas with certainty, seeking evidence to confirm them, even without any scientific basis. The less thought they have, the more vigorously they will defend their ideas.
Doubt, on the other hand, remains with the more intelligent.
The Mass Imitation Phenomenon
Mass psychology explains why this phenomenon is so widespread. The mass imitation phenomenon suggests that when a group of people does something, an individual feels legitimized to do the same.
In other words, when someone observes many non-experts expressing themselves on important topics, they feel entitled to do the same, and they will.
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This article first appeared on Grazia.it – Author: Elisa Castellano
