We often overestimate our abilities, and overestimate the abilities of others who exude confidence. Are we correct in thinking the athlete who radiates confidence must be competent in her/his sport? The salesman who speaks with extensive knowledge and confidence must know what they are talking about, right?
These scenarios are often manifestations of the illusion of confidence.
Confidence is often considered a “true” signal of the extent of one’s memory, knowledge, skill, and ability. However, confidence is often misleading and not congruent with ability. This type of unwarranted confidence leads to “epistemic irrationality,” or more commonly known as simply delusion and self-deception.