Zippers And The Illusion Of Knowledge
Zippers are all around us. On our trousers. And our bags. Hardly a day goes by without our zipping or un-zipping something. If someone asked you if you knew how zippers worked, I am guessing like most of us, you too would be quick to say, “I know”.
Two researchers at Yale ‒Leonid Rozenblit and Frank Keil‒had an interesting idea though, some 20 years ago. They asked a group of students to rate on a scale of 1-7 how well they understood how zippers worked. As you might expect, most responses were at the upper end of the scale.
Next, they gave the students pen and paper and asked them to explain how zippers worked. (Maybe you should try doing that too right now, just so you know what happened). And then they asked the students, one more time, to rate their understanding of how zippers worked – on the same seven-point scale. Most students lowered their score by a couple of points this time around.
Fascinating, isn’t it? The researchers called this phenomenon the ‘Illusion of Explanatory Depth’. The illusion that we understand things better than we actually do. We think we know more than we actually do. We think we understand how things work. Even when we don’t.
True for zippers. And bicycles. And pandemics, economics and politics too. In fact, true about the world at large. How can we guard against the illusion of knowledge? Here are three things we can all do.
First, resist the temptation to say, “I know”. We put too much of a premium on being seen as knowledgeable, as knowing it all. So, when a colleague or a friend starts to say something, we instinctively jump in and say, “I know”. Result? The other person stops in their tracks, and doesn’t tell us what they wanted to say. We effectively shut the door on new knowledge, new information which could have helped refine our thinking.
Second, stay curious. If there’s something that everyone is talking about – and it interests you ‒ try and dig deeper to understand it a bit better. It could be the Indian Army’s Agnipath recruitment scheme. Or the demolition of the twin towers in Noida. Or even the penalty for not bowling your overs in time in a T20 game. How well do you know these issues? No matter what your answer is, drill down further. Ask questions. Read about it. Listen to conflicting views – so you understand both sides of the argument. Make that a habit. And it will change your life.
And third, if you want to really understand something, try explaining it to other people. A good sign of mastery is the ability to make complex things simple. And a sure sign of half-baked knowledge is the tendency to use big words and jargon, and make things look complicated.
Maybe start with the zipper today. Try explaining how it works to a 15-year-old. If nothing else, it will remind you to zip up your mouth next time you are tempted to say, “I know”! Eric Hoffer was right when he said, “In times of change, learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”
Remain a learner. Remember, we know less than we think we do.
