People who know the most often sound the least certain(vrash.substack.com) |
People who know the most often sound the least certain(vrash.substack.com) |
The "like" phenomenon is less of a verbal fluency issue and more of a cultural one. You can listen to someone smart like Donald Knuth speak and he will definitely stammer and stutter a lot, but he doesn't use filler words. "Like" is more of a West Coast or California thing and I also find it annoying and distracting.
As was beautifully demonstrated in this article.
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Lawyers will usually give much less-certain answers to questions like "is it legal to do X" than lay people as well because they're aware of much more nuance in the law. (Not referring to the wishy-washy corporate-law answers given to avoid liability here, but in outside convo about issues.)
Statistically, the asshole capital of the world really ought to be somewhere in China or India, but the language barrier is too high for most of us to know.
Really, the one thing missing in 2026 is more and better AI propaganda!
Also, the Dunning-Kruger effect still applies to smart people. You don't stop when you are estimating your ability correctly; as you learn more, you gain more awareness of your ignorance and continue being conservative with your self-estimates.
Performative behavior is not a modern phenomenon. Deceitfulness is so effective we're not going to end it by discussing Dunning-Kruger every chance we get. Mere knowledge is not enough to defeat it, and you'll always be sorry when you underestimate your opponents.
It's all ultimately a matter of trust, and that takes time most people don't have or don't want to give. It's more important to stack incentives to compel behavior and hedge your bets against people who seem off.