Yes, ok, I’m not so smart..
Fabulous piece by David McRaney about ‘the Illusion of Asymetric insight’ – from his book ‘You are not so smart‘ [great title!]
The illusion of asymmetric insight makes it seem as though you know everyone else far better than they know you, and not only that, but you know them better than they know themselves. You believe the same thing about groups of which you are a member. As a whole, your group understands outsiders better than outsiders understand your group, and you understand the group better than its members know the group to which they belong.
…therefore if someone sees things differently than you or disagrees with you in some way it is the result of a bias or an influence or a shortcoming. You feel like the other person must have been tainted in some way, otherwise they would see the world the way you do – the right way. The illusion of asymmetrical insight clouds your ability to see the people you disagree with as nuanced and complex. You tend to see your self and the groups you belong to in shades of gray, but others and their groups as solid and defined primary colors lacking nuance or complexity.
Completely sold on the book – especially with it’s subtitle: ‘Why you have too many friends on Facebook, Why your memory is mostly fiction, and 46 other ways you’re deluding yourself’.
via The Illusion of Asymmetric Insight « You Are Not So Smart.
