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One of the easiest ways to spot a smart person is by hearing them say, “I don’t know.” It’s a powerful phrase that shows humility, curiosity, and a willingness to learn. But, as you’ve probably seen in your own life (or online), these words aren’t in everyone’s vocabulary.
To show you what stubbornness can lead to, we’ve collected a list of moments where people were absolutely sure of themselves… and completely wrong at the same time—proof that confidence can take you far, just not always in the right direction.
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#1
Your Parents Failed You
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#2
That Is Biologically Incorrect
The funny thing is that as embarrassing as these situations are, they’re also pretty human.
According to a study published in the journal Plos One, it comes down to believing you have all the information you need to form an opinion, even when you don’t.
“Our brains are overconfident that they can arrive at a reasonable conclusion with very little information,” said Angus Fletcher, a professor of English at Ohio State University, and one of the co-authors of the study.
#4
Widow ≠ Spinster
Colleen Glim 10 hours ago
I can feel myself losing IQ points with every post. No wonder the planet is going to hell in a handbasket
#5
“Spanish Is A Language - People Aren’t Spanish”
BeesEelsAndPups 10 hours ago
Fair enough, I'll let the people of Catalán know they are free from their Castilian overlords
Fletcher, along with two psychology researchers, set out to measure how we make judgments about situations or people based on our confidence in the information we have — even if it’s just a fraction of the full picture.
To do that, the academics recruited nearly 1,300 people with an average age of about 40. Everyone read a fictional story about a school running out of water because its local aquifer was drying up.
About 500 people read a version that favored the school merging with another school, presenting three arguments supporting the move and one neutral point.
Another 500 people read a version with three arguments in favor of staying separate, plus the same neutral point.
The final 300 people, the control group, read a balanced story that included all seven arguments — three pro-merge, three pro-separate, and the neutral one.
#6
On The Topic Of Exoplanets
#7
Millipedes Are Not Insects, Frogs Are Not Reptiles, Arthropods, Reptiles, Amphibians Are All Animals
BeesEelsAndPups 10 hours ago
Millipedes are amphibians and frogs are plants. Plants are bears. Obviously
#8
Guess It’s Time To Buy A Globe!
After reading, the researchers asked the participants about their opinions on what the school should do and how confident they were that they had all the information they needed to make that judgment.
The answers revealed that a majority of people were much more likely to agree with the argument — either in favor of merging or staying separate — they had read, and that they were often confident they had enough information to have that opinion.
#9
I Say Let Them Do The Swim!
Colleen Glim 10 hours ago
That particular bit of water is called the Drake passage. It’s known for severe storms and enormous waves. You want to try swimming it, go ahead. Just make sure your affairs are in order first
#10
Three In A Row! You Can’t Make This Up
Karl der Große 10 hours ago
Can somebody figure out where the 2030 number comes from? (PS-the three main Pyramids of Giza are over 4000 years old.)
#11
America Is The Reason You Have Cars
Spencers slave no more 6 hours ago
Germany invented cars, followed by Frank and Charles Dureya in 1893, 3 years later in the US. Ford followed in 1903, introducing mass produced cars.
People in the groups who had read only one point of view were also more likely to say they were more confident in their opinion than those in the control group who had read both arguments.
The key, however, is what we do when we’re presented with another point of view.
Half of the participants in each group were then asked to read the opposing side’s information, which contradicted the piece they had previously read.
Although people were confident in their opinions when they had read only arguments in favor of one solution, when presented with all the facts, they were often willing to change their minds. They also reported feeling less confident in their ability to form an opinion on the topic.
#12
Question
#13
Guy Thinks Incel Means "Introverted Celibate" And Corrects People Who Think Otherwise
#14
Blood Nearlyboiling But Heart Rate Normal
“We thought that people would really stick to their original judgments even when they received information that contradicted those judgments, but it turns out if they learned something that seemed plausible to them, they were willing to totally change their minds,” Fletcher said, adding that the experiment supports the idea that people fail to contemplate whether they have all of the information about a situation.
#16
The Problem With Kids Nowadays
#17
I Don't Even Know What To Say
But our willingness to change our minds is limited. The researchers noted that the findings may not apply to pre-established political beliefs.
Todd Rogers, a behavioral scientist at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, compared these findings to the “invisible gorilla” study, which illustrated the psychological phenomenon of “inattentional blindness,” in which a person fails to notice something obvious while focused on something else.
There seems to be a cognitive tendency not to realize that the information we have is inadequate.
#18
What's Trinity?
#19
Girl…
#20
There Are No Replicas Of The Statue Of Liberty, So This Is AI
Remi (He/Him) 9 hours ago
The one in France and the one in Norway made at the same time as the original are the first replicas that come to mind
#21
The Reasons We Can't Have Nice Things
The study also parallels a psychological phenomenon called the “illusion of explanatory depth,” in which people underestimate what they know about a certain topic.
“It’s not just that people are wrong. It’s that they are so confident in their wrongness that is the problem,” Schwartz said.
The antidote, according to him, is “being curious and being humble.”
The fact that the people in the study who were later presented with additional information were open to changing their minds should give us hope about the ones on our list, too!
#22
They Continue On Saying That The Earth Is Around 6,000 Years Old, "According To The Bible"
#23
I Don't Think So
#25
For The Local People $1 Is A Lot Of Money
#26
Monotremes Are Not Mammals, Apparently. Found On Youtube Under A Short About The Evolution Of Horses
#28
Guy Thinks Female Reindeer Dont Have Antlers
#29
Two People Confidently And Incorrectly Correcting The Dictionary
#31
Guy Thinks Iphones Don't Have Bluetooth
#32
Everything You Said Is Incorrect
#33
That Is Your Opinion. You’re Entitled To It But It’s Also Completely Medically Incorrect
Colleen Glim 10 hours ago
Schizophrenia is now a kidney issue requiring dialysis? Has anybody told the schizophrenics or the doctors yet?
#34
Guy Thinks Gravity Is Biased (I’m Confused If He’s Fighting For Or Against Flat Earth)
#35
The Only Time Genghis Was White Was When He Was Played By John Wayne
#36
Dejected Because They Don't Know The Difference Between Lbs And Kg
#37
On A Post About Not Receiving Medical Attention Prior To Giving Birth
Colleen Glim 10 hours ago
So all of the mothers and babies that died throughout history did so because the mothers were “in fear or not deeply aware of the process?” How did you survive to adulthood being that stupid?
#38
Didn't Know They Had Coyotes In London!
#39
"2nd Grade Science" Indeed
#40
Vitamin D
#41
Every Comment This Person Made Was As Completely Wrong As This One, Including The Several Other Times They Confidently Insisted 0 Isn't A Multiple Of 5
#42
Playing Fast And Loose
#43
Red Has Clearly Never Set Foot On A Farm
#45
Sorry But We *absolutely* Stopped The School Day And Watched It By Satellite
Razill 9 hours ago
I absolutely remember watching that in school. It was a group of 3 classroom that were normally separated by the collapsible walls that were opened so all rooms could see the very small TV on a roll cart. It was planned as a learning eperience to participate in over the time the astronauts were in space so it was quite a disruption when the launch failed.
#47
Watches A Clip From A Legal Drama, Thinks It’s Real
#48
Math Does Not Check Out
#49
Neanderthals Are Not Real
Phantom Phoenix 3 hours ago (edited)
Pffft! In my opinion your evidence of evidence doesn't count as evidence, so evidently, there's no evidence that you have any evidence of the evidence of Neanderthals. So there! /s
#50
Think Critically
#51
I Think The Word You Are Looking For Is Colonizers
#52
Pluto Was Not Physically Removed From The Solar System
#53
“Um, Actually Pride Month Is July”
#54
“Samurai Were Monks”
#55
Genuinely One Of The Biggest Whiffs I've Seen
#56
Tesla Getting Clapped By Grok
#59
“USA Is Number 1”
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What do you think ?
Phantom Phoenix 2 hours ago (edited)
"When you're dɛªd, you do not know that you are dɛªd. The pain is felt by others. The same thing happens when you're stupid" - Ricky Gervais.
Ye Olde Dirty Grumpy 8 hours ago
Proof that people choose to be stupid. Mostly repeats though.
Phantom Phoenix 2 hours ago (edited)
"When you're dɛªd, you do not know that you are dɛªd. The pain is felt by others. The same thing happens when you're stupid" - Ricky Gervais.
Ye Olde Dirty Grumpy 8 hours ago
Proof that people choose to be stupid. Mostly repeats though.
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