The view from the top of Mount Stupid: How to avoid catastrophic consequences when discussing your knowledge with others

I first heard about the Dunning-Kruger Effect a few years ago. This cognitive bias describes the way we overestimate our abilities when learning something new. Being aware of this can help you avoid embarrassing situations when discussing your knowledge with others.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect has three stages:

1. Mount Stupid

You don’t know what you don’t know. Early on when learning a new skill or starting a new job, people tend to feel like they understand more than they do once they learn just enough to feel confident in their abilities. This happens to all of us and leads us to think that we’re more competent than we are. At the top of Mount Stupid, the view looks pretty good, until reality comes crashing in.

2. The Valley of Despair

If you keep going, you’ll face situations that make you realise that there’s still a couple, or a few hundred, things left to learn that you overlooked. Once you realise your mistake, your confidence disappears with the revelation of just how badly you misjudged your abilities.

3. The Slope of Enlightenment

The valley of despair is where most people give up. From there it looks like a never-ending battle to get back on track and deciding to walk up the slope of enlightenment is no easy task. Those that do ascend regain their confidence slowly. Their faith that the hard work was worth it is eventually rewarded.

I’ve been at the top of Mount Stupid many times in my life. Most of those times, I didn’t realise it. After learning about Mount Stupid, I now question myself whenever I’m feeling confident over something I just learned, a job I just started, or a conversation I just had.

Cultivating self-awareness over time can be a good place to start when trying to decipher what part of the journey you’re on. Reflecting on your experiences helps show patterns that you can use to avoid making the same mistakes in the future.