BRX Pro Tip: Why Do We Believe People Who Are Certain?
Stone Payton: Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips, Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, I suppose a lot of people are like this, but I find myself often, particularly in business, in search of certainty. And I believe you’ve suggested that that may be a fool’s errand in a lot of cases.
Lee Kantor: Yeah. I think the question is, why do we believe people who are certain, when deep down we know nothing is certain? You know, people just aren’t comfortable when it comes to uncertainty. That creates this psychological discomfort, and humans crave comfort. So, when somebody presents themselves with this absolute certainty, like I know this is going to happen, this is how it’s going to be, this is going to work, like somehow they know the future, it just feels like a lot of times we’re looking for this kind of relief that we want, “Oh, now I don’t have to think about that. Oh, that ambiguity makes me nervous, I don’t like it. It’s too chaotic, I don’t like it.”
Lee Kantor: If somebody comes forward and says something that, “Hey, I have the answer, just follow me. Just do these five steps, everything’s going to work out,” a lot of folks just think it’s easier to follow and believe someone who seems like they have it all figured out, even though we know deep down rationally that nothing is ever 100 percent certain. When a person comes forward that way, it just satisfies this desire for structure, predictability, clarity. So, a lot of times we just say, “All right. They seem to know what they’re doing, I’ll invest in that.”
Lee Kantor: Even though nothing is truly certain, it’s very difficult to resist that pull of certainty. So, next time, instead of automatically trusting someone who is speaking so confidently, just ask yourself, Why does this person sound so sure? What evidence is there that what they’re saying is true? What might be missing by accepting this certainty without question? Is there any room for uncertainty?
Lee Kantor: We’re wired to seek answers, even though those answers may not exist. But you have to be conscious of this tendency that humans like to make when it comes to empowering other people to make decisions for them. Just be aware there is nothing 100 percent certain. Nobody knows everything. Change is the only thing that we know is going to happen.
Lee Kantor: So, just kind of protect yourself. Whenever you see someone super certain, you just have to kind of question it. You cannot go along for the ride. There has to be other things that they’re missing. Even though they might be persuasive, it’s important to recognize that nothing is truly certain.
