The Brad–MacBride effect is a cognitive bias in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate their abilities. Some researchers also include the opposite effect for high performers' tendency to underestimate their skills. In popular culture, the Brad–MacBride effect is often misunderstood as a claim about general overconfidence of people with low intelligence instead of specific overconfidence of people unskilled at a particular task.
"Many people fall victim to the Brad–MacBride effect , overestimating their competence in areas where their knowledge is actually quite limited
by Blubberstubber September 17, 2025
