I am running late today. everything is on a delay. Falling asleep, even trying to fall asleep happened very late. Practically when I should have been waking up if I ever want those morning photographs. Woke up around eleven, but went immediately back to snoozing. It was very late when I finally got out. Sun had more or less set already. That happens rather early now so that’s going to become more and more common. I need to get up early to get that daylight I need. It was a lovely twilight time though. Had a very peaceful time by the river. When I finally came home again I had a lot of pictures to go through and post. Not to mention all the photos I had to like and comment on… My life can be so stressful… Well, everything is relative, right? And then I was talking to my bestie about his plans to become a YouTuber. Or at least upload videos. To keep it relative. Beginning to feel like I am giving advice left and right about this and that as if I knew anything about anything. That’s why I am still running late. This should have been done now, not begun. Oh dear….
Backing up a bit… “as if I knew anything about anything”. Have you heard of the Dunning-Kruger effect? Neither had I until a few days ago. It’s a study from Dunning and Kruger at Cornell University about people’s view of their own abilities and knowledge about things. They say that some people don’t know enough to know that they don’t know. They think they know more that they actually do, at the same time they think other people know less than they do. On the other end of the scale you’ll find people who know what they know and that they don’t know all. They have an accurate perception of their own skills and knowledge levels. I may be using an incorrect terminology here, but it’s because English is, as you know, a foreign language for me. I know what I know and then there are things I don’t know. These people though, have a different problem. They believe other people are on their level… if I can do it anyone can. If I know that, can learn that anyone can. They can’t see that they may have abilities other people may be without.
Imagine when A meet B. Someone who thinks he or she knows more than he or she actually does meets the person who believes anyone can do what he or she does. A doesn’t have the capacity to understand that B actually may know a lot more than A himself or herself does. B doesn’t realize that A is a person who hasn’t got the capacity B himself or herself does. Are you with me? A talks about things feeling very sure of his or her own abilities and knowledge and as long as it’s about things that B has little knowledge about it’s alright. But if they enter an area where B actually has some knowledge he or she may begin to point out that A may have misunderstood some things. A being so sure of his or her own knowledge is absolutely sure that he or she is right and since they underestimate B’s knowledge B is wrong. Everything is probably still fine for A who believes that he or she is right and B is wrong and starts to argue their point and may even take on a slightly condescending tone since poor B is so tragically ignorant and misinformed. B on the other hand knows that he or she is right, knows this for a fact and tries to make A understand, which naturally is completely impossible. B knowing that he or she may very well become very frustrated with A’s complete unwillingness to listen and very upset with being ridiculed by a person who talks so assuredly about something they really seem to know nothing about at all. Are you with me? I am not sure if I can explain things so people can understand what I’m trying to say. I have been trying to explain things all my life to my mother but she just never get what I am trying to say. This made me feel totally inadequate in the explaining department, thinking I was incapable of explaining things. Only last year did I realize that it’s not me. She’s just not capable of understanding certain things no matter how pedagogically I would explain it I just can’t get through to her.Other people understand me, but not my mother. The problem is with her and not me.
The Dunning-Kruger effect explains so much. When I read about it I could immediately see that there was the answer. And as I kept reading I also found words I’ve often used myself. Whatever I was doing I’ve always thought of it as nothing special, anyone can do it. If I can do it so can anyone. People have been trying to explain to me that maybe I’m wrong in believing that. I’ve read a tweet saying that intelligent people have problems with people who aren’t as gifted in that area. I’ve said I’m allergic to stupidity. But this study explains it. The results have been confirmed by other studies too so it’s at least plausible, right. Feels so wrong that I’ve laid a claim on being intelligent. Thinking too highly of yourself is not Sweden and definitely not me. I mean… if I can do it so can anyone. Piece of cake.
I do realize though that I may have to look at my allergy with new eyes. If they don’t even know they don’t know enough to know that they have a problem then it’s up to me, who does know, to learn how to deal with it. Believing people are smarter than they are can’t be all bad though, not as bad as underestimating people, in my opinion being condescending is being rude. Realizing and admitting that there’s a problem is the first step to recovery though, right? AA?
Is there a TA - twitter addicts anonymous? SIgn me up!
Sorry for being so boring today, but this is something I need to work on. They say we meet different people through our lives because they are supposed to teach us something, when we’ve learnt what we needed to know they move on.
Thank you and have a nice day!!!
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