Why Confidence is better than Intelligence, Attractiveness, or Correctness

“Whatever we expect with confidence becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy.” — businessman Brian Tracy

Everybody wants to feel confident. We want to assure ourselves that we’re making the best decisions and becoming people we can be proud of. Not only is it clear that confident people (or at least those that seem confident) rule the world, but scientific studies have shown that confidence can often be more beneficial than intelligence, attractiveness, or actually being correct.

“There has been a very, very big lobby within educational psychology against the notion of IQ,” states Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, “And part of this lobby has been based on the idea that self-perceptions matter more than actual ability.” Chamorro-Premuzic found in his studies with twins that some of our confidence is genetically inherited and that how smart we think we are isn’t based entirely on our actual intelligence. When you aren’t feeling up to par, remember that this thought was genetically influenced. You may be smarter than you think and your confidence should reflect this.

Unfortunately, wearing the same fragrance as Jared Leto won’t give you his talent. However, it might give you more confidence to work towards your goals.

Attractiveness is also affected by your confidence. The International Journal of Cosmetic Science conducted a study to find out if wearing cologne affected men’s confidence. When they wore it, they were voted more attractive in photographs due to the confidence boost it produced. This is similar to how women will sometimes wear their best lingerie under an outfit for job interviews and other times when they need to be confident. Even if it won’t be seen (like cologne in a photograph), it can still affect how a person feels and conducts themselves.

Another study found that being confident can be more important than actually being right. Using mathematical models that predicted what over or underconfident, or realistic, people would act in varying circumstances, they demonstrated how opponents with different levels of confidence would do against each other. Unsurprisingly, the best strategy is overconfidence. If you doubt your abilities, you’re setting yourself up for a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” — Henry Ford

You might not be the most intelligent, most attractive, and you’re likely wring a lot more than you’re right, but these are no excuses not to succeed. Confidence can make up for a lack of almost anything. The best part, even though it may not seem like it, your confidence is completely under your control. If people try to tear you down, you get to decide if you want to let it affect your confidence. Just remember that tearing yourself down is the worst mistake. How will you remain confident?

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