The Overconfidence Problem: Why Knowing More Can Make You Less Accurate episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 16, 2026 · 12 MIN

The Overconfidence Problem: Why Knowing More Can Make You Less Accurate

from The Psychology of People

Research reveals a troubling pattern among experts: more information increases confidence but not accuracy. In one striking study, giving subjects more information about a case raised their confidence from 33% to 53%, while their accuracy stayed below 30%. This episode explores overconfidence bias—the most common cognitive bias affecting professionals across medicine, law, finance, and management—and asks why more knowledge can paradoxically lead us further from the truth. This episode was generated with AI assistance.

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The Overconfidence Problem: Why Knowing More Can Make You Less Accurate

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This episode was published on March 16, 2026.

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Research reveals a troubling pattern among experts: more information increases confidence but not accuracy. In one striking study, giving subjects more information about a case raised their confidence from 33% to 53%, while their accuracy stayed...

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