Funny How Everyone You Know Became a Snow Expert Last Week, Huh?

New York Magazine:

Something funny happens in the days leading up to a big snowstorm: A lot of people who know next to nothing about snowstorms suddenly start acting like they know a lot about snowstorms.

There are a lot of people spreading questionable information, in other words, and if it seems like those who are loudest about their perceived weather expertise are the ones who least know what they’re talking about, well, that’s not very surprising to psychologists who study self-perceived knowledge. “[T]his is a great example of overclaiming,” University of Chicago psychologist Nicholas Epley told Science of Us in an email. He’s referring to the notion that people tend to overestimate their knowledge on a given subject, especially when they think they know a lot about the subject. You’ve been skimming a lot of news articles about the weather this week, and bam — you start considering yourself more knowledgeable about meteorology than you probably are.

Read the whole story: New York Magazine