The Why #93 Why is everyone suddenly an Olympic breakdance critic?
Question submitted by Royston, Springvale
The 2024 Paris Olympics have concluded, closing the chapter on a series of sensational headlines that included Celine Dion’s triumphant return to the world stage, French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati and his world famous/gold medal robbing junk, and not one, but two engagement proposals between athletes.
Amongst these highlights, perhaps none caused as much commotion as Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn (AKA Raygun)’s performance, who shot to notoriety after performing a jaw-dropping, 0-point scoring routine that could really only be described as baffling. In the wake of her flailing, squirming and kangaroo hops across the stage, an uproar has erupted, dividing Australia, the internet and much of the Olympic watching world.
From young coworkers to ageing relatives, it seems like everyone has an opinion on Raygun’s performance. To be fair, I could bust out a pretty good six step back in the day, but when did everyone else become an expert on Olympic breakdancing?
The Dunning Kruger Effect
The Dunning-Kruger Effect occurs when a person’s lack of knowledge in a certain area causes them to overestimate their own competence or understanding. By contrast, it also causes those who genuinely excel in a given area to underestimate their own abilities.
In 1999, Cornell University researchers David Dunning and Justin Kruger unveiled the Dunning-Kruger Effect (what were the chances?). They asked a group of students to take part in a range of tests focused on humour, grammar, and logical reasoning. They then asked participants to evaluate how well they think they did on the tests.
Interestingly, those in the lowest 25% of test scores massively overestimated their abilities, assuming they’d be one of the top performers. Even more interestingly, those in the top 25% tended to modestly underestimate their high-achieving scores.
Rather than Australian breakfast TV hosts turning into a breakdancing maestro overnight, the likely truth here is that when we fall victim to the Dunning-Kruger effect. We’re not just ignorant, but also ignorant about how ignorant we really are. For those who are new to watching the new sport, the recently acquired knowledge of basic rules is enough to inflate their sense of expertise beyond any sense of doubt.
And in a way, we can’t blame them. The Dunning-Kruger Effect gets us all where we least expect it. It’s why we all believe we’re incredible drivers, the reason your recently engaged friend suddenly knows everything about diamond cuts, and why your Mum’s recent wine tour has made her an instant sommelier when it comes to ordering a house Shiraz.
Challenger Brands are often pitching to customers whose confidence to competence ratio is way out of whack. When confronted with a ‘premature expert’, the play is to slowly, gently offer guidance and information that will help them realise there’s way more to consider. Personal anecdotes (“I spent way too much on my first bike…”) and open ended questions (“what style of cycling is your go to?”) are your best weapons for building trust and setting the foundation for a mutually beneficial, long term relationship.
Behaviourally Yours,
PS If you missed the last edition, you can still check out why people go on holiday even when they owe us money here.
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