The science behind why people think they're right when they're actually wrong

Overconfidence in Limited Information: People tend to be overly confident in their opinions, believing they have enough information to make a judgment even when they don’t.

Study on Decision-Making: The research involved nearly 1,300 participants who formed opinions based on one-sided or balanced information about a fictional situation. Those exposed to only one perspective were more confident in their judgments.

Openness to Changing Opinions: When participants were later given new information that contradicted their original view, many were willing to change their opinions, demonstrating a capacity for reconsideration if the new evidence seemed plausible.

Psychological Phenomena Explored: The study highlights concepts like "inattentional blindness" and the "illusion of explanatory depth," where people think they understand a topic more deeply than they actually do.

Implications for Long-Held Beliefs: While the study showed flexibility in changing opinions with new information, this openness does not extend to deeply ingrained beliefs, such as political ideologies.