The Dunning-Kruger Effect: Why You Shouldn't Give Up Yet

Let's Talk about Dunning-Kruger Effect:

People who have less ability to perform a task or little knowledge about a certain subject always overestimate their ability, while those with high ability underestimate their overall competence. This cognitive bias is a popular subject in human psychology known as Dunning-Kruger Effect.

Dunning-Kruger effect is regarded as a cognitive bias. This means that it is a systemic pattern of deviation from rational judgment where people in society tend to create their own subjective reality from their perception of the input. This term was first described in 1999 by American social psychologists, David Dunning and Justin Kruger.

What actually happens is that when people are at the basic level of acquiring knowledge, they often think that's all. However, as they go deeper to learn more, they realize the complexity of the subject, and that humbles them. In other words, people who know less don't realize how little they know until they get deeper. Understanding and managing this common cognitive behavior can greatly help improve one’s personal and professional life.

Although it makes one not to recognize one's own incompetence, Dunning-Kruger Effect can also be one of the reasons most people cannot complete a course, and others stop their journey halfway. This is because as their knowledge increases, their pride goes down as they begin to see much more difficult challenges that make them think they cannot make it to the final destination. Meanwhile, we cannot underestimate how this cognitive behavior can influence one's social life as well. For example, you hardly see experts boasting about their capabilities, but the amateurs.

The key point is that when it gets harder as you go deeper, it may not be that it is getting too difficult for you, but because you are getting a better understanding of the process than when you started it. If you can endure that pitfall phase and able to come out of it, you will find yourself more knowledgeable than ever.

Having knowledge about Dunning-Kruger Effect will not only help shape your social life but can help motivate you, especially if you are a student currently taking a course, or a professional currently executing a project.

"It must always get to a point where it gets tougher but your ability to beat it is the key to succeeding in it."