Contributed by @philhagspiel |  Edited and curated by @philhagspiel

When we are incompetent at something — either a task or a field of knowledge — we, by definition, lack the skills to assess our own ability properly. This can quickly lead us to overestimate our own competence.

In short, we need expertise to recognize how badly we're doing.

In contrast, if we are are really good at something, we tend to believe that others must find it equally easy to learn, understand or do that thing — and hence underestimate our own level of competence.

Additionally, the more we understand about a particular subject, the more we usually see how much we don't understand yet. This makes the 'known unknown' bigger and thus reinforces our underestimation of our competence.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect explains why people might self-assess their competence at similar levels although they are vastly different in actual competence and knowledge.

Understanding this helps us, among others, navigate through a landscape of opinion and public discussion with more nuance and caution.

— Confucius

— Charles Darwin

— William Shakespeare

— David Dunning

➞ Here's a 5-min. highly insightful animated video about this important effect.

➞ For a thorough overview of the origins and a few more aspects about this effect, visit the Wikipedia article.