The Dunning-Kruger Effect

 Getting a 'C+' on your math paper may make you happy. Well there is a good chance that it will as getting  'C' is average and getting a 'C+' is above average. Now before you leap and rejoice, ask yourself a question, 'Am I in the top 5% of the kids in my class?' Studies have shown that about 47% of the people who answer this question say that they in fact are. This is a common problem which we all face some time in our life. Its called a cognitive bias. A cognitive bias, as the name suggests is a bias with occurs in your head allowing you to believe something even when science and research prove you wrong. This was proven by Justin Kruger and David Dunning. That's why it is called the Dunning-Krugger Effect. One of the most infamous examples is off McArthur Wheeler who was robbing a bank without a mask or anything to cover his face. He even smiled at the camera. Why? Because he thought that if he put orange juice on his skin it would render him invisible to the camera. Cognitive biases make people with a little bit of knowledge or skill in an area believe that they are alphas or good in that field. This is often represented by this graph.

It is good to have self-confidence and self-esteem but beyond a point, reality will massacre the imaginary kingdom you live in and destroy that imaginary throne you sit on.