A new study reveals that one gender tends to overestimate their intelligence and STEM skills. Can you guess which one? Surprise. It’s men.
The study, published Wednesday in Advances in Physiology Education, finds that men in STEM subject areas tend to overestimate their own intelligence and credentials and underestimate the abilities of female colleagues. That unabashed confidence leads women to doubt themselves and their abilities in the classroom, even when hard evidence (like grades on tests) says otherwise.
In their paper, researchers Katelyn M. Cooper, Anna Krieg, and Sara E. Brownell wrote that the finding “echoes what has been previously shown in the literature; a review of nearly 20 published papers on self-estimated intelligence concluded that men rate themselves higher than women on self-estimated intelligence.”
So there you have it: The confidence gap is real and has a real-world impact. Can’t wait for someone to mansplain this study to me.
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