Overconfidence interferes with our learning and performance. When we think we know more than we really do, when we overestimate our own abilities, when we think we are more competent than we really are, we may become arrogant and less willing to learn, improve or spend effort when performing a task. Overconfidence leads to lower performance and should therefore be avoided especially when performing a critical task. Importantly, our tendency to feel overconfident increases when we receive help from others (Fisher and Oppenheimer 2021).
Our overconfidence increases especially when we receive assistance from others immediately as we perform a task or when we receive help by default, without having to ask for it. In other words, we can reduce the danger of feeling overconfident when we receive help from others by taking a short pause before receiving help, or by attempting the task without any help first, then asking for help if needed.
In an experiment, people were divided into three groups. Group One was asked to solve trivia questions completely on their own; Group Two received help where they were always given the first letter of correct answers for every question; Group Three received help as well but only after 7 seconds since each question was presented. After the three groups completed the trivia, they were asked to predict what percentage of questions they would answer correctly if they were given a similar set of questions without any help.
The results showed that groups that received help became more overconfident that they would correctly answer more questions on their own than Group One that received no help at all. However, Group Three that was given a short delay before receiving help predicted a lower percentage of correct answers compared to Group Two that received help without any delay. In other words, having a short pause before receiving help reduced their overconfidence.
In another experiment, people who had to click the button “HINT” in order to receive help became less overconfident than those who received help without having to click the button.
Life is full of tasks, activities and problems that require us to seek help from others. Unfortunately, we often become overconfident in our own abilities when we receive help, making us less effective. However, when we give ourselves a short delay before receiving help or when we attempt the task before receiving help can reduce overconfidence, helping us to be more effective.
Be quick to listen to others, but slow to speak or act especially when we receive help from others. This will keep our overconfidence down and help us remain humble and effective in our pursuits.
Fisher, M., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2021). Harder than you think: How outside assistance leads to overconfidence. Psychological Science, 32(4), 598-610.