TL;DR

Veritasium dives into why we’re so often too sure of ourselves—how a simple “How confident are you?” quiz exposes the gap between what we think we know and what we actually do. You’ll get the real Dunning-Kruger graph, learn how our brains take mental shortcuts (and why that’s sometimes useful), and see overconfidence go spectacularly wrong in stories like Nick Leeson’s rogue trading and a centuries-old bank collapse.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. The video shows why a little swagger can be good for motivation and how simple tweaks—regular feedback, calibration exercises, asking the right questions—can keep overconfidence from derailing your best-laid plans.

Watch on YouTube