People Who Think They\'re Always Right Aren\'t the Smartest in the Room

It feels so right to tell a know-it-all that they’re so wrong!????A new study finds that people who brag about how smart they are don’t know as much as they think.????On the flip side, those who are able to admit they don’t everything and that their own views might not be correct are more knowledgeable.????Take it from researchers at Pepperdine University in California.????They wanted to see if there were any links between learning and intellectual humility – or being open-minded.????The idea is that overconfident types who think that they’re right all the time usually bend information to fit their beliefs and theories, which can mess with the way they interpret information and learn new things.????After five studies with nearly 1,200 people, results showed intellectually humble folks tend to score better on a test of general knowledge.

????Intellectual humility was also linked to curiosity, open-minded thinking and reflective thinking.????But there were downsides.????Intellectual humility was also tied to a slightly lower grade point average, or GPA and those folks also underestimated their cognitive ability.????Researchers say more tests need to be done.????But they pointed out that when you’re able to admit things you don’t know; it could be the first step to learning new information.????Don’t be so intimidated by know-it-alls.????Chances are they aren’t smarter than a 5th grader.