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Incompetent people tend to see themselves as not just competent, but highly competent. So, at any rate, holds the theory of the 'Dunning-Kruger effect,' previously featured here on Open Culture. But does the converse also hold: do highly competent people tend to see themselves as incompetent?

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Stanford’s Matt Abrahams offers practical advice for communicating clearly and calmly under pressure.

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How to be less awkward
7 Jan 2026
experimental-history.com

a three-part treatment for a near-universal affliction

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Reverse impostor syndrome
1 Oct 2025
open.substack.com

Imposter syndrome is other people thinking you’re good, but you don’t believe it yourself. Reverse imposter syndrome is knowing you are good, but others don’t see it from the outside.

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How to cultivate initiative, emotional confidence, imagination, and strategic vision.

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How to instantly be better at things
27 Jul 2025
open.substack.com

Just pretend you're someone else

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3 simple steps to overcome self-doubt at work
24 Jul 2025
fastcompany.com

It’s time to surmount the syndrome. Start by rewriting the story you hear in your head.

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Learn to love the Moat of Low Status
5 Jul 2025
open.substack.com

It hurts, but less than you think

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What Is the Spotlight Effect?
24 May 2025
thecollector.com

The spotlight effect is one of the most fascinating phenomena of human experience. We explore why it happens and how to overcome it.

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Why are we such bad judges of how others see us? Epley’s answer is that other people are novices about us, while we’re experts.“The Green Mirror” (1911) by Guy Rose / Wikicommons Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . There’s the full-body bedroom mirror, the bathroom mirror, and the trusty […]

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Narcissism and self-esteem have very different developmental pathways and outcomes.

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The Psychology of Camera Confidence
16 Feb 2024
nesslabs.com

In a world dominated by video, we know we’d benefit from communicating effortlessly through video content. But many of us struggle with camera confidence. This is because our fear of talking to a camera is deeply rooted in our survival instincts.

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How Your Body Posture Communicates Feelings to Others
6 May 2023
greatergood.berkeley.edu

New research suggests that body postures can reveal our emotions to other people—and maybe even change how we feel inside.

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Setting a rate can be a minefield for folks navigating an industry alone.

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How To Get An MBA From Eminem
18 Jan 2023
techcrunch.com

In 2002 I was driving to a hedge fund manager's house to hopefully raise money from him. I was two hours late. This was pre-GPS and I had no cell phone. I was totally lost. I kept playing over and over again "Lose Yourself" by Eminem. I was afraid this was my one shot and I was blowing it. I was even crying in my car. I was going broke and I felt this was my one chance. What a loser.

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How ignorance and a little ego threat can make us ridiculously over-confident.

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Never underestimate the power your own insecurities can generate.

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How to Feel Better Naked
21 Jun 2022
nytimes.com

Whether you want to find joy in your body, or just greater self-acceptance, these four strategies from psychologists and activists — and, yes, nudists — might help.

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How to Learn the Trick of Confidence
24 Feb 2022
getpocket.com

Can ‘confidence-whisperer’ Nate Zinsser help Jamie Waters boost his wavering self-belief?

Medium
17 Jan 2022
medium.com
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How to learn the trick of confidence
12 Jan 2022
theguardian.com

Can ‘confidence-whisperer’ Nate Zinsser help Jamie Waters boost his wavering self-belief?

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You can’t stop people making demands on your time and energy, but you can develop assertiveness skills to protect yourself

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When we want people to change, we typically tell them what to do. But what if we flipped the script and asked them for their wisdom instead? Behavioral scientist Katy Milkman PhD explains the power…

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These common expressions can cause listeners to think twice.

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Five tactics to silence the person trying to make you squirm.

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How to have better arguments online
18 Feb 2021
theguardian.com

The long read: The troubled times we live in, and the rise of social media, have created an age of endless conflict. Rather than fearing or avoiding disagreement, we need to learn to do it well

Medium
30 Jan 2021
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How to Talk to People You Disagree With
25 Jan 2021
getpocket.com

Bridge the divide with thoughtful conversation techniques, next-level listening, and a dip into the science of changing minds.

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"Unconscious leadership happens when we aren't self-aware, which puts fear in the driver's seat."

Healthy Self-Doubt
10 Aug 2020
nerdygirl.com
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The Power of Lampshading
13 Mar 2020
dev.to

How to turn Ignorance into Power

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We often undervalue what we inherently do well.

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We Are All Confident Idiots
23 Dec 2019
psmag.com

The trouble with ignorance is that it feels so much like expertise. A leading researcher on the psychology of human wrongness sets us straight.

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Learning to write is learning to think, because writing is thinking. They are two peas in a powerful pod. This article goes over my writing process, focused on minimizing the activation energy to get started.

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What to Do at Parties If You Hate Small Talk
11 Oct 2018
theschooloflife.com

We publish articles around emotional education: calm, fulfilment, perspective and self-awareness. | What to Do at Parties If You Hate Small Talk — Read now