{"id":48625,"date":"2021-09-02T06:31:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-02T10:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=48625"},"modified":"2021-09-13T09:37:23","modified_gmt":"2021-09-13T13:37:23","slug":"psychology-of-confidence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/psychology-of-confidence\/","title":{"rendered":"The Psychology of Confidence: Where It Stems From"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What are some things you feel confident about? What do you think gives you that confidence? Where does confidence stem from in general?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, the authors of <em>The Confidence Code<\/em>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-confidence\/\">real confidence<\/a> stems from mastery. You can only be truly confident about your ability to do something because you have the hard evidence for it\u2014you&#8217;ve worked hard and pushed through the difficulties to master it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, you\u2019ll learn about the psychology of confidence: what confidence is, why it\u2019s important, and how women seem predisposed to have less of it than men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What Is Confidence?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Confidence is believing so strongly that you can do something that you\u2019re driven to actually <\/strong><strong><em>do<\/em><\/strong><strong> it. <\/strong>The belief stems from mastery\u2014you know you can do something because you\u2019ve worked hard and pushed through past difficulties and failures.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, when Katty learned to kiteboard, it was challenging. The kite would drag her around, she\u2019d fall, she\u2019d get frustrated, and she\u2019d get sore. After a few years of practice, she figured out how the sport worked, and now she can do it confidently.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Confidence is contagious\u2014once you\u2019ve mastered something, this gives you the confidence that you can master (or at least try) something else.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, mastering kiteboarding gave Katty the confidence to try another extreme sport.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Statistical Confidence<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Neuroscientist Adam Kepecs studies \u201cstatistical confidence\u201d\u2014how certain we are about a decision we\u2019ve already made; it has two \u201cfaces:\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Objective.<\/strong> This is simply the measure of how certain you are about something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, Kepecs measures objective confidence in rats using a delayed reward system. If a rat correctly identifies a smell (by sticking its nose into the correct hole), it\u2019ll be rewarded with a drop of water, but the water won\u2019t appear right away. This tests how certain the rat is\u2014if it\u2019s sure it\u2019s correctly identified the scent, it knows the water will be coming and will wait endlessly. If the rat isn\u2019t certain, it can restart the test, but to do that, it forfeits the drop that might be coming and the time it already spent waiting.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Subjective.<\/strong> This is the emotional <em>feeling <\/em>of confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Related Qualities<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The psychology of confidence is not a clear-cut subject. There are several other terms that people often use synonymously with \u201cconfidence,\u201d but while these qualities are <em>related<\/em> to confidence\u2014they can help or hinder it\u2014they aren\u2019t the same thing because they lack a to-do or action element.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quality #1: Self-Esteem<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-is-self-esteem-and-why-is-it-important\/\">Self-esteem is<\/a> a belief that you have value; it\u2019s an attitude about yourself.<\/strong> It\u2019s usually more general than confidence, as confidence is often tied to specific actions or decisions about achievement.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Self-esteem supports confidence because if you believe you\u2019re valuable, you won\u2019t assume that other people don\u2019t.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>High self-esteem and high confidence often go hand and hand, especially when self-esteem is based on abilities or talent.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, if you think you\u2019re valuable because you\u2019re good at your job, you\u2019re likely confident about your job.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>See the Appendix for a self-esteem assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quality #2: Optimism<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Optimism, like self-esteem, is an attitude, and optimism is interpreting events to predict the most favorable outcome.<\/strong> It\u2019s unrelated to a sense of self\u2014it doesn\u2019t stem from self-esteem or belief that you can do something. It also doesn\u2019t drive action; instead, it\u2019s a way of interpreting events and observing surroundings, whether those are specific events or the general workings of the universe. (Note: Some psychologists, such as Martin Seligman, do attach action to optimism.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>(Shortform example: Optimism would spur the belief: \u201cThis party is going to be fun and enjoyable.\u201d Confidence would say: \u201c<em>I <\/em>am going to do something to make sure I enjoy this party.\u201d)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Optimism supports confidence because it\u2019s easier to take action if you think it will turn out successfully.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Optimists notice the good things happening to or around them, so good things seem numerous, and optimists are thankful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quality #3: Self-Compassion<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/compassion-for-yourself\/\">Self-compassion<\/a> is when we judge ourselves by the same standards as our friends\u2014we acknowledge that by nature, humans aren\u2019t perfect and fail sometimes.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Self-compassion supports confidence because it softens failure.<\/strong> It\u2019s easier to take a risk if you know it won\u2019t be the end of the world if it doesn\u2019t work out. It\u2019s also easier to be confident if you acknowledge that you don\u2019t always have to be above average or the best all the time. (If you\u2019re too scared of not being perfect, you won\u2019t try.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quality #4: Self-Efficacy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Self-efficacy is similar to confidence\u2014it\u2019s the belief that you have the <\/strong><strong><em>capacity to succeed<\/em><\/strong><strong> at a particular task.<\/strong> Some experts consider this synonymous with confidence; others think that self-efficacy is for specific tasks and confidence is more general.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Self-efficacy supports confidence because like mastery, <strong>once you develop it by doing one task, it increases your belief that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/believe-you-can-succeed\/\">you can succeed<\/a> at other tasks.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Role of Courage<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Depending on what you need to be confident about, your confidence might also be boosted by a dose of courage (if you\u2019re doing something frightening) or force of will (if you\u2019re procrastinating or doing something hard).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Women Are Less Confident Than Men<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Women have less confidence than men, and women tend to underestimate their abilities\u2014their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/self-image-psychology\/\">self-perception<\/a> is negatively skewed. Men, on the other hand, tend to overestimate their abilities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Zach Estes Experiments<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Zach Estes is a psychologist who studies confidence in men and women. He ran several experiments and found that <strong>women have equal ability to men but less confidence in those abilities, and this lack of confidence results in inaction and decreased performance<\/strong> (and vice versa):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>When asked to reorganize a 3-D puzzle, women scored worse than men because many of them didn\u2019t try to answer the questions they were unsure about. (When Estes told the women they <em>had <\/em>to answer all the questions, they scored the same as the men.)<\/li><li>When everyone was asked to answer every question and also to rate how confident they were about each answer, men\u2019s test scores increased to 93 and women\u2019s decreased to 75.<\/li><li>When random people were told that they did well on an earlier test, they all substantially improved their scores on the <em>next<\/em> text.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dunning and Ehrlinger Experiments<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Psychologists David Dunning and Joyce Ehrlinger found that because <strong>women were less confident in general, they were less confident when doing specific tasks, and this discouraged them from trying similar tasks again<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>When asked to rate themselves on scientific abilities, women gave themselves an average of 6.5\/10, while men said 7.6\/10.<\/li><li>When actually taking a scientific test, women and men scored similarly\u2014the average for women was 7.5 and for men was 7.9.<\/li><li>When asked to sign up for a science competition after taking the test, fewer than half the women signed up while 71% of the men did.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Interviews<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The authors interviewed many people about the confidence differences between the sexes. <strong>Almost all the women they interviewed expressed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/overcoming-self-doubt\/\">self-doubt<\/a> or lacked faith<\/strong> that they deserved their positions, especially as they climbed the ladder:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said that there are days she feels like a fraud.<\/li><li>International Monetary Fund leader Christine Lagarde and German Chancellor Angela Merkel assumed that they didn\u2019t know enough about topics and poured over files to prepare.<\/li><li>Officer Michaela Bilotta, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, felt like she was lucky to get her position.<\/li><li>Mystics basketballer Monique Currie said everyone on men\u2019s teams has the same amount of confidence, whether he\u2019s a non-starter or the star. But women who are benched or not top players lose confidence.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Mystics coach Mike Thibault, who\u2019s coached both men and women, said that women have more trouble letting their mistakes and losses go and detaching from the outside world.<\/li><li>CEO of BAE Systems, Linda Hudson, assumes others think she\u2019s unqualified when they first meet her. She said that if you\u2019re a woman, everyone assumes you\u2019re incompetent until you prove you\u2019re not. For men it\u2019s the opposite\u2014everyone assumes you\u2019re<em> <\/em>competent until you make a mistake.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Salary Surveys<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Several researchers have found that <strong>women negotiate their salaries less often and ask for less than men do, suggesting that women undervalue themselves<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Linda Babcock of Carnegie Mellon University found that men negotiate their salaries four times as often as women do. When they do negotiate, women ask for 30% less than men do.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Marilyn Davidson of Manchester Business School found that her male students both expect and think they deserve higher salaries (on average $80,000) than female students expect and think they deserve (on average $64,000).&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reported Confidence Levels<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Researchers have also found that <strong>men overestimate their abilities<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Social psychologist Brenda Major ran tests in which she asked men and women how they expected to perform on tasks. Their performance was the same, but men always overestimated how well they would do, and women always underestimated.<\/li><li>Columbia Business School found that on average, men think their performance is almost a third better than it actually is.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What are some things you feel confident about? What do you think gives you that confidence? Where does confidence stem from in general? According to Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, the authors of The Confidence Code, real confidence stems from mastery. You can only be truly confident about your ability to do something because you have the hard evidence for it\u2014you&#8217;ve worked hard and pushed through the difficulties to master it. In this article, you\u2019ll learn about the psychology of confidence: what confidence is, why it\u2019s important, and how women seem predisposed to have less of it than men.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":38222,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,160,43],"tags":[489],"class_list":["post-48625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychology","category-science","category-self-improvement","tag-the-confidence-code","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Psychology of Confidence: Where It Stems From - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Where does confidence stem from? 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In this article, you&#039;ll learn about the psychology behind confidence.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/psychology-of-confidence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-09-02T10:31:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-09-13T13:37:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/confident-smiling-girl-happy.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Darya Sinusoid\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Darya Sinusoid\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/psychology-of-confidence\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/psychology-of-confidence\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Darya Sinusoid\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0421cce75bc249b11e2517b3a91f9c46\"},\"headline\":\"The Psychology of Confidence: Where It Stems From\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-02T10:31:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-09-13T13:37:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/psychology-of-confidence\/\"},\"wordCount\":1550,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/psychology-of-confidence\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/confident-smiling-girl-happy.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"The Confidence Code\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Psychology\",\"Science\",\"Self-Improvement\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/psychology-of-confidence\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/psychology-of-confidence\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/psychology-of-confidence\/\",\"name\":\"The Psychology of Confidence: Where It Stems From - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/psychology-of-confidence\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/psychology-of-confidence\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/confident-smiling-girl-happy.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-02T10:31:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-09-13T13:37:23+00:00\",\"description\":\"Where does confidence stem from? 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