Why you think you're good at something you're not

A researcher has said that people think that they're good at something that they're not at because it's a natural reaction, asserting that it's hard to accurately evaluate abilities.

Zlatan Krizan, an associate professor of psychology at Iowa State University, said that this is one reason why we have barriers to self-insight, because oftentimes, even if we get feedback, it's not accurate.

These misguided perceptions of ability can affect everything from career choice to relationships. If someone has an inflated perception of their abilities, they may pursue a career for which they are not qualified.

Krizan and Ethan Zell, a professor at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, conducted a meta-synthesis of previous research to see how self-insight relates to different abilities.

The study found people have better self-insight of specific skills or tasks with a defined measurement. Speaking a foreign language is a good example of a skill we can determine with high accuracy.

The study has been published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science.