Why too much confidence can be a bad thing

Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic believes that overconfidence, far from getting you ahead, can actually harm your career

In the self-improvement world, there is one attribute above all that people believe will make them more successful in work and in personal relationships. A trait that will help them hit the bull’s-eye every time on the dartboard of life. And what is the name of this magical quality?

Confidence. That supreme self-belief that all successful people appear to have; the kryptonite shield that makes them impervious to criticism and allows them to brush away hints of self-doubt like stray flakes of dandruff on a collar. Cloak yourself in the swagger of confidence and all life’s riches will be yours, we are told. You will get that promotion, earn more money, have a better love life. Confidence is for winners and self-doubt is for losers.