Curiosity 101, Part-4
Soul letter #57
Hello👋 folks, Shubham here.
I am back with another edition of Curiosity 101.
Dunning–Kruger effect
I am already laughing while writing, oh man you guys will love this.
McArthur Wheeler robbed two Pittsburgh banks on a single day in 1995.
Interestingly he didn’t use either a mask or any other disguise. Adding to that he smiled at the surveillance cameras before leaving the banks.
Sounds like a dope criminal from a HOLLYWOOD movie, but sadly he wasn’t.
Police caught him later that night. They showed him the surveillance tapes which left him baffled.
He didn’t expect to be captured by the cameras.
Wheeler mumbled in disbelief, “But I wore the juice”.
Apparently, Wheeler rubbed lemon juice on his face assuming it would make him invisible because it was used to make invisible ink.
No, he wasn’t high on drugs. McArthur is a classic case of cognitive bias where people with limited skills overvalue themselves.
The incident encouraged two psychologists, David Dunning and Justin Kruger, to delve deeper into human behavior.
In one study they asked students questions about grammar, logic, and jokes.
Along with it, they asked them to estimate their scores and relative ranks with respect to their peers.
Funny enough, the students in the bottom quartile ended up believing they did better than the majority of the group.
David and Justin conducted many other studies which ensued similar findings.
They concluded people with finite knowledge usually hold a false sense of mastery.
I am sure you must deal with several McArthurs(including me) in your daily lives.
The Humor Cliff
Are you in your early 20s and find it hard to laugh?
The joke which made your stomach hurt doesn’t move a nerve now.
If this happened to you then my friend you have been a victim of the humor cliff.
No, it isn’t as serious as diabetes or blood pressure however, the ailment needs attention as it can have serious consequences.
Most of us fall off the cliff at 23. According to a 2013 Gallup survey of 1.4 million people in 166 countries, the frequency in which we laugh or smile in a given day begins to plummet.
The concept of Humor Cliff makes sense since we live childhood in a free-spirited carefree way.
However, as we age we lose that raw energy. Once we join workforces we try to behave in an acceptable conservative manner.
Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas are authors of Humor Seriously. Together, they teach how to maneuver humor in business at Stanford University.
According to them, the average 4-year-old laughs as many as 300 times a day. The average 40-year-old will take two and a half months to log that many chuckles.
The authors surveyed more than 700 workers across different domains and concluded people believe that sense of humor doesn’t go well with professionalism.
Another reason people avoid jokes is that they believe they aren’t funny enough. Their peers might judge them for poor one-liners.
There are numerous other theories for humor cliff and you can read the book to feed your curiosity.
Laughter is great medicine, especially in our current circumstances.
Humour is the soul’s last line of defence - Anxious People
Humor makes you more authentic, boosts your creativity, and will help you cope with life in a healthier fashion.
Plus people love funny ones. Don’t fall off the cliff (yet!).
Call that guy who tells lame jokes and laugh at them or their jokes as per your wish.
Shiny Object Syndrome
Shiny Object Syndrome, also known as SOS is a situation where people keep pursuing vogue trends before eventually abandoning them as soon as something new comes up.
According to Wikipedia, it’s a psychological concept where people focus on a shiny, new object, in other words, whatever is most current, trendy, or the latest concept, regardless of how valuable or helpful it may ultimately be.
SOS is on display in different elements of our lives.
It is especially dominant in entrepreneurship culture where companies keep experimenting with new ideas which look good in theory but they rarely stick with them long enough for reaping tangible results.
Shiny Object Syndrome gives a false sense of competence to the people assuming they are growing and developing by trying out new things.
Having shiny object syndrome causes distraction, overwhelm, stress, and a lack of focus.
I am the perfect embodiment of this, who hops from one hobby to another as if I am in a cardio session.
To deal with SOS draft a well-defined why before starting something new. Stick with it for a considerable time and build systems to gauge its effectiveness.
All that glitters is not gold
Hope you enjoyed this edition.
Signing off for today :) Until next time, Houdoe! 🙋♂️
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Loved it ❤