On being wrong | Kathryn Schulz

www.ted.com Most of us will do anything to avoid being wrong. But what if we're wrong about that? "Wrongologist" Kathryn Schulz makes a compelling case for not just admitting but embracing our fallibility.

[@PaulHubble]

The feeling of being right, since we usually have it, is not a reliable indicator of being right, since we often aren't. Such a great point.

[@Atomic_Prince]

Let's take a moment to appreciate all of our teachers that assigned this to us- you guys are great!

[@qt_omni8476]

My psychology teacher assigned this to us!

[@shawncook2619]

@@qt_omni8476 same

[@christinachoi5679]

How bout just be to teachers who've assigned this to us? My nutrition teacher put this video in a PowerPoint.

[@Atomic_Prince]

@@christinachoi5679 You’re completely right. Looking back on it, it was quite shallow to only commend English teachers for assigning this video when in reality we should commend any educator who assigns this video. Going to edit my comment right now!

[@_..-.._..-.._]

@@christinachoi5679my PE teacher assigned this to tell us we’re wrong about him watching us shower through a hole in the wall. Very ignorant to assume English teachers. He’s not even from England!

[@pernordin2641]

"How does it feel to be wrong, before you know you are wrong? It feels like being right:" Spot on! Well put! I actually always operate from the default position that I am probably wrong. And the more convinced I am about something, the more I try to prove myself wrong. And I am never ever ever as happy as when I am proven wrong, because then I learn something fundamentally new. And THAT is a point she missed totally!. And the only point she missed. This is a wonderful talk.

[@Jackalleyway]

This is a very useful comment. Thank you for that! :-)

[@Terra_Lopez]

Wow, you have a great attitude, that's different in this way from most people. I wish we all thought like you -- like a true, good scientist!

[@bobr4840]

And how does it feel to be right before you realize you are right? Nothing. It's amazing, the trickery of words.

[@cr1ngewarning678]

I don't believe you

[@_..-.._..-.._]

You’re wrong.

[@maymuna_]

"I think therefore I am." -René Descartes "I err therefore I am." -St.Augustine

[@caleb8239]

"The less he understands something, the more firmly he believes in it." -Wilhelm Reich Everyone has reasons to convince themselves why the belief they hold is right. Being wrong isn't the real problem, it's the need to feel that we're always right. Perhaps in addition to asking ourselves if we could be wrong, we should first ask ourselves why we want to be right about something we don't fully understand.

[@AJ.Rafael]

“Maybe I’m wrong” is the epitome of epistemic humility. Depth of knowledge & insight in any field must always come with at least an equal amount of unknowns.

[@BM-fb8cs]

I watched this right when it came out diring my first year of graduate school. I still watch this every few months even now. This is by far my favorite TED Talk of all time. Her work is so niche yet so desparately needed. Just fantastic. Or I don't know maybe I'm wrong and it sucked.

[@robertwalker-hu7ph]

very interesting and powerful lecture on the need to be right. I love the words she said at the end, "step out of the terrified space of rightness" I personal have a fear of being wrong because we have been made to think if we are wrong we don't know what we are doing and people will make fun of us and laugh. We must not be afraid to make mistakes and laugh at our own selves because non of us are perfect.

[@xAnikaAwkwardx]

So glad my lit teacher assigned this video to watch for homework

[@amandawang8169]

Anite T, my media teacher assigned this video for homework too!

[@meowster277]

my ap lang teacher told us watch this for homework, currently making a rhetorical triangle for it uaibvefkbefygwaujch

[@jamesdragonforce]

Sounds like a good teacher.

[@Hi-nh7wu]

Same

[@Hi-nh7wu]

@Cheeseking sup

[@Thebrainrahul]

One of my favourite lectures =] I do try to question whether I am wrong... it allows you to see an alternative view, and it allows you to empathise- something we could all do a little more

[@TheBossMan1453]

Hate being wrong but I feel the most resolution when someone calls me out. It takes time to accept fault tho, be patient and open to change. Life will reward you for learning

[@TatsTalks]

Great advice. Humility plays a huge part in doing this right.

[@junesimone]

Thank you for this Talk. Oh I love you for this. Thoroughly enjoyed!

[@Baphas]

This is, by far, some of the best 18 minutes I have ever spent on KZbin... Ever.

[@judylloyd7901]

The same speaker has another Ted talk which is really good too, "Don't regret regret." 😁👍

[@Claire-kj3wi]

Ted talks are the life lessons I need that my parents never taught me

[@j1mmy1reland]

If we were always thinking we might be wrong no one would have the confidence to do anything!

[@colubrinedeucecreative]

"The only true wisdom lies in that we, in fact, know nothing." Socrates.

[@lakshmisharma3412]

Paradox you know still 😅

[@Destro7000]

Being wrong all the time is a GOOD THING. People don't always get this.

[@kedabro1957]

Confidence comes from Certainty. Certainty comes from Clarity. Clarity comes from Simplicity. Simplicity comes from Ignoring details. That's why Confidence comes from Ignorance. So the more confident you feel, the greater the chance you are ignoring something.

[@LawsonComedy]

No, that's living in fear. If you don't fear being wrong then you're not afraid to do things. That's true confidence, confidence that being wrong is ok.

[@jamesberry4514]

Great speeches by Kathryn Schulz. Often success involves serendipity, but you can learn from things to seize that when it comes. Plus I feel like if I try to force a result in life it is more elusive than when I sit back and try to learn things as I go.

[@maymuna_]

Watching this again two years later, it's a great reminder. Hilarious presentation and spot on!

[@_..-.._..-.._]

Hilarious?!? Low bar.

[@fivebigideas9553]

Thank you for sharing this video. I loved the idea of not being too certain about what we believe, since our perception of the world is just that. (Perception) :) Also, Kathryn had a really fascinating way of weaving everything into her story of how she was so certain that the picnic road signs were Chinese characters, making it such a tangible example!

[@carleto35476]

I love being wrong because it allows me to open my mind to a new perspective and more importantly learn from that perspective. I don’t care if someone is wrong or not in a discussion it doesn’t change the way I feel about the person at all but if you can admit when your wrong or admit you learned something new from my perspective you gain my respect.

[@paolaortiz7280]

Great advice! I've listened to it twice and jotted down key ideas I want to use.

[@mylearningcompass]

Insightful and honest look at being wrong. I love her ending about looking around at one another and looking out. "And then something else happened…"

[@SSuperCuriouss]

Great talk. I was that lil brat in class that answered every single question, right or wrong (50%). But thats how I learn. I crave learning new things, so finding out I am wrong means I just discovered something new!

[@michaelob2300]

I watch or listen to a lot of Ted Talks and this talk was even more pertinent today as it was 6 years ago. One of the best I've seen in a long time! Great job..

[@Calvotribe]

Wow I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. Added this to my favorite's! Great message!

[@marcushelms6168]

I find this truly interesting...and so true. Making mistakes can be humbling.

[@kenmathis9380]

I highly recommend the audible version of the book she wrote. Wonderfully narrated, and definitely consciousness raising.

[@ElizabethKToney]

So true! I hope there are more videos related to this.

[@maureenserafini1949]

Wonderful, thoughtful presentation...thank you!

[@melaniemiller3278]

Thank you Kathyrn, thank you Kerstin! Meg Ryan's character, Joe Versus the Volcano - "my father says there are only a few people awake in the world and they live in absolute constant amazement"

[@mohamedaminehamza]

i spend my life i think i am wrong of i am trying to do, but now i will go full trust in it,and if am wrong i will learn from it

[@DaylightDigital]

Awesome video! A philosopher in the making!

[@teabagayb3890]

My parents can never admit that theyre wrong and it affected me mentally. Before, i used to be fine when im wrong because i learn something. Now that my parents keep making me always te wrong one, being wrong is more personal than before. Im not going to be like them who cant admit that theyre wrong, but being wrong(whether or not i am) is more damaging.

[@The0Vivacious]

Oh dear how much i love your talk.

[@ranns160]

I absolutely love this. Thank you.

[@ChristinaCataldochrisdiv45]

very inspiring !!!!! We learn so much from our mistakes... and what we didn't think would ever happen :)

[@g.alistar7798]

Dr Robert Burton, wrote about the scientific reasons for this in his book, "On Being Certain." A brilliant read along the same line of logic....highly recommended.

[@kaos1109]

"I'm never wrong, except for the once time I tought I was wrong, but I was wrong about being wrong" xD!!!!

[@ThePixelizedNetwork]

One of the best TED talks of all! Thumbs up to this video!

[@beckseamons]

Really loved this -- thank you Kathryn!

[@peterstiles1]

Excellent talk. But I suspect the reason all this seems like new thinking to Kathryn is that she has always looked at the world form the paradigm of her obviously high self confidence / esteem. To some of us at the opposite end of the self confidence spectrum this is normal. It's easier to be ok with being wrong, and to look honestly, open mindedly, to see where the truth lies, if you don't tie your ego to your intellectual position: Debate the veracity of the concept rather than arguing that 'I am right'. Bear in mind that, 'people believe what they want to believe'. And that, 'I believe' really means, 'I want this to be true and am going to pretend really hard that it is'. There's no such thing as belief. Something is pretty much true to the extent to which it is proven. To the extent of the evidence. Or so I would suggest. : )

[@laurisolups6563]

Very well said. Possibly true 😀.

[@kedabro1957]

Maybe she's just pretending its new to her to entice the audience into opening up to her humbling message. Otherwise she'd come across as acting superior.

[@johnguilfoyle5832]

Great points. This is great information and training

[@Flaxdental]

This is a terrific eye opening presentation that everyone should watch.

[@martingoldfire]

The biggest problem is when you know you are wrong and your pride stops you from admitting it. It happends to me all the time, in other people of course ;-)

[@jimbobeire]

I hear that a lot. That I either haven't read the bible (yes I have) or that my mind isn't open enough. The fact is that as a kid my mind was open enough to believe all the fairy tales I was told in church. Then I started reading and questioning, and not being so close minded to avoid anything contradictory that might upset the peer group and make me question the comforting simplicity of the myths or the certainty of the infinite sadistic punishments.

[@BrucexfromxCanada]

Admitting When You're Wrong, 2 sides: On researching what I might find on this topic on You tube, I found a number of videos. All of them essentially touted the merits of Admitting you're wrong, however none mentioned that this is predicated on there being safe grond to do so, that is, free of risk of the confession being abused or opportunised. When a person exposes any vulnerability of this general type under unsafe circumstances, or in unsafe ground, he actually commits another wrong, albeit that wrong being often inadvertent. When such a situation is then abused or opportunised, the adage "Two wrongs don't make a right" applies. More than that, in doing so he generated a peer pressure for others to admit their mistakes and shortcomings on unsafe group, thereby exposing all to a self-exacerbating situation of distrust and unsafeness. Nonetheless it may be necesary to become close to accusative to avoid such a response being seen as an "excuse", rather than a real concern.

[@SR-zn4ei]

Check out her book... It's awesome

[@ruthiesgarden]

Thank you for this! To my mind its about letting go of control...however I could be wrong....

[@ohrobert65]

I love this talk! I love the book! This is brilliant! 🥰🥰🥰

[@Jonguyen]

Try this for a change... Everyone talk/think/analyze/judge only about him/ herself for an entire day without blaming/excusing/commenting or even praising whatsoever outside of the Self. This is still a huge challenge for me... But incredible experiences and eternity moments of realization are indescribable. Much blessing to All.

[@joejohnson5410]

Great talk

[@_..-.._..-.._]

Being wrong hurts exponentially worse the more you think and/or insist you’re right. It’s a simple idea. If you’re wrong about something minor that you really don’t care about, you laugh it off like the Chinese campground road sign.

[@andreaalbert5096]

I really needed someone to tell me this. Because I am torn apart by both the feeling that I'm right and the insecurity of possibly being wrong. I need a break from myself

[@TheBossMan1453]

As a motivational speaker that was once a navy SEAL says, on KZbin, "get out of your head and achieve more than you thought possible" Just tell yourself what's what

[@Agent1W]

A military cop taught me, "If you're right, you're right. If you're wrong, you're wrong. But never second guess yourself." Being double-minded is a far worse fate than being wrong, because you never know if you were actually right the whole time. Not that we should settle for being wrong, but we do need to remember that Chaos "uhhh...finds a way" to upset our convictions. Strange stuff happens every day, folks!

[@jandtbang]

Can't get enough!

[@SimonDeMontfort1972]

I use this video in my AP Gov class. I encourage students to debate the issues. But what inevitably happens is that students will make all three of her unfortunate assumptions while debating. So after the first heated discussion I show them this video. It makes future debates much less heated.

[@resurgam75]

My opinion is that in life; which seems to be such a paradox, we also sometimes have to trust that we are right. Marriage is usually based on a trust in 'the one' an Olympian champion doesn't choose to believe they will fail. Life seems to demand a balance between being open to being wrong, and trusting in yourself you are right, to me anyway.

[@mbjay1994]

This feels close to home today in 2021

[@karlljungquist7388]

So yeah that was really good, and well, she came on my recommended watch list in our data analytics class. Waow! really good speech!

[@GyuJazz]

Her speech really reminded me of this movie "Waking Life".

[@DavidHeyburn]

11:16 it gets really good. At 11:58 one of the greatest quotes ever.

[@MyThoughtsBelow]

The third one should be panic, and self-reflection on whether or not you're wrong. Great talk though.

[@Kahalasama]

The last stage doesn't necessarily have to be evil. It could be stubbornness. Someone who has all the facts, doesn't piece them together as we do, may be assumed to be stubborn without attaching a label that they're evil. I commonly think this way.

[@ettas.peterson9231]

i'll have to agree with some of her thoughts. she has excellent points!

[@roomwithapointofview]

I thought I was wrong once...but I was mistaken. :)

[@geraldined.johnson633]

great talk..i like it a lot as far as i can say..

[@barhajaj5892]

so inspiring !!

[@igott]

I liked this one. Most valuable part I thought was when she talked about how we're taught that being wrong is taboo (the student example). No one wants to get that low grade.

[@improvestepbystep]

"if you wanna make God lough, tell him your plans!"

[@ShallowBeThyGames]

@eugenetswong It's not just about admitting your fallibility to others, moreso, admitting it to yourself. Facing the fact that you can be wrong, often encourages more consideration of the choices we make. More examination usually leads to less mistakes. You can see this every day, drivers travelling at excessive speeds in the misguided self-belief that they are infallible, that their vehicles are impervious, that they are safe...

[@handfullocheez]

this is excellent

[@kittenseather]

I am in the tiny terrified space of rightness. How do I get out of it? It's more complex than "stepping out" of the bubble. Tell me step by step, how I can abandon the identity that I have created for myself on the basis of being right *without* feeling like nothing.

[@JChua61]

@eugenetswong Sorry for sounding annoying, and butting in, but may I ask which book you two are arguing about? It sounds really interesting :P

[@eugenetswong]

@ShallowBeThyGames I agree with you on this, as well. However, the fact is that she seems to act as if there are no consequences to being wrong. It's as if she was saying, "We'll just admit that we're wrong, and then no big deal." I totally agree with you that we should own up to it, but we shouldn't be too surprised that people don't want to.

[@Dixavd]

I've never thought that people needed to be told this, I have always known these things but I use the feeling of knowing I am wrong and everything I do could in some way be wrong but I just haven't seen how yet as a wonder and something to look forward - I know different people think in different ways but I thought everyone knew, like they leared that wya in there heads - just another thing indeed for me to be wrong about but smile at the vast diversity of different people.

[@Flaxdental]

Very inspiring about constant growth “Anyone who has never made a mistake, has never tried anything new” Albert Einstein

[@nba_fan7214]

I didn't take away a single thing from this speech because I think she's wrong.

[@kinglewisjtl24]

Please explain, you probably have a case.

[@Saephaan]

+Joshua Lewis his case is that you don't understand a joke.

[@yuyunwahyunani5283]

hahaha​ too funny!!

[@SuperDivina31]

😂😂😂

[@JayAAllen]

Embrace my wrongness....it's far more common than I'd like to believe.

[@dorothywhitmore7287]

With the interesting things going on during the Pandemic & the way people are dealing with this; we need talks like these!

[@_..-.._..-.._]

Do we? 🤷🏻

[@eugenetswong]

@JChua61 :^D We weren't arguing about the book, but it's called "The Invisible Gorilla". It talks about how good our memories, and observance skills are, and 4 other weakness. I can't remember the other 4. There is a web site that talks about it. That being said, you don't sound annoying when asking about a book. :^)

[@avaughn85]

This was awesome.

[@regulus04]

A very interesting presentation. Very enlightening. But... What if she's wrong?

[@ericullman954]

Truly Fantastic!!!!

[@GraeHall]

Wow, her point about the distinction of how it feels to be wrong, rather than how it feels to realise you are wrong is some god damned logical and insightful jiujitsu. I was raised my entire life being told I was wrong, beaten in to my literally, now as an adult the possibility I am wrong doesn't have any effect other than my desire to be less wrong, if I can. Maybe a benefit of my hell was assuming I'm wrong and wanting to be shown how to be less wrong. Who knows, I could be wrong :D:D

[@MarcSylex]

@RadAlarm True. But if you get too many questions wrong you fail and that is bad. The lesson being one really really sucks at what they're doing. "Regardless of subject matter." I have to say there are of course some subject people just understand much easier than others. I think its really a lesson in discovering what that subject is. After all what would be the benefit of pursuing a subject that is excruciatingly difficult versus a subject one can at least with moderate effort (nmc2c)

[@AhmedSheikh]

Best ted talk ever...!! Oops May be I am Wrong...😅

[@heckyes]

Which point did you see that?

[@nihonbunka]

Schulz' conclusion reminds me of social psychologist Steven Cousins' (author of Culture and self-perception in Japan and the United States, 1989 ) PhD thesis concerning the question of why we care about 'symbolic imortality', or why we have a self (since these days the self is usually regarded as a symbolic construct, a self-symbol with which we identify). He concludes that self-symbolising self-consciousness is like a mini version of evolution, a trial and error attempt to self-represent.

[@RadAlarm]

@andid If you get something wrong in math, it may be a dead end, but you at least learn from that mistake and have eliminated one of the options. It's about trial and error, and just realizing that being wrong is a lesson. The more serious the error, the more powerful the impact of the lesson. Lessons educate, and that leads to progress. What I got from it was that her point was simply to accept your mistakes because they will eventually lead you to the right path. Regardless of subject matter.

[@ThekoolestAWOL]

i would love to hear your thoughts as to what you didn't like about it. I personally thought it made a lot of great points but i would like to hear your side.

[@thetree1994]

While I agree that we must question authority, we also must obey sometimes for the purpose of civil order on the things that we have questioned and found correct.

[@ISSGOD]

Being wrong is infinitely harder than being right, but living a life of belligerent denial of reality to maintain a constant state of rightness is just insane. I rejected long ago the BS my old man, his family, and society taught me... that being wrong is a weakness. In my view those who can never admit wrongdoing are the weak ones. As they are so scared of being seen as foible that they would rather hide behind a lie... the illusion of strength. It takes real strength to admit wrongdoing.

[@wiscodyne]

i loved this talk, took alot from it. some people who are commenting are already saying things she was talking against -_- and she's right, people really hate being wrong.

[@Reet64]

We all need to hear this more now than we did when it first came out.

[@Ko252]

@gusphraba Essentially, it is.

[@earnestlanguage4242]

As an American learning Chinese, the picnic-table-character thing is so relatable.開。开 (kāi-open) is so close! I recently thought that a line drawing of a house was a particularly complex character. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I was wrong.