Dunning-Kruger & AI: Metacognitive Resistance Training You Didn’t Know You Needed
- Rich Washburn
- May 6
- 4 min read
Metacog-what now? Dude, now you’re just making up words.
Not this time, dummy. (jk… kinda)
So here’s the deal — and honestly, it still blows my mind a little...
Last week I dropped a post about how AI might be making us dumber.
Nothing crazy. Some solid traction. A few reposts. Couple spicy comments. I figured folks would riff on the AI part. Maybe nerd out on the coffee thermometer. Move along. But nah.
Y’all skipped right over the salad bar, the apps, the steak, the cheesecake… and lost your damn minds over the fortune cookie.
Specifically, this little line I buried at the bottom:
“Ask ChatGPT to give you a Dunning-Kruger test on something you think you’re good at.”
Didn’t think much of it.
Until my phone lit up like a Christmas tree made of existential crises.
The DMs. The Calls. The WTF Moments.
People weren’t just reacting — they were feeling it.
A client — smart, successful, total pro — called me and said the test made her cry.Not because it made her feel dumb.Because for the first time in a while, she got an honest look at where she stood. No judgment. No fluff. No awkward performance review vibes. Just clarity.
“This is like CrossFit for my brain,” she said. I mean… yeah. Exactly!
Welcome to the Dumbass Effect™
(aka The Officially Named Dunning-Kruger Effect)
Here’s the gist:
The less you know, the more confident you tend to be.The more you know, the more you realize how little you actually understand.
It’s a cognitive trap that makes us feel right when we’re wrong — and worse, makes us believe we’re crushing it.
We’ve all seen it:
The guy who watched two YouTube videos on crypto and now offers unsolicited wealth advice.
The coworker who explains DNS to the network engineer — completely wrong, but with TED Talk confidence.
The “wellness coach” who says the word “detox” like it has an FDA label.
But here’s the punchline: We’ve all been that person. I’ve been that person. You’ve been that person. The trap isn’t just being wrong — it’s feeling right.
Historically, Realization Was Painful
That moment — the one where you realize you’ve been confidently incorrect — usually comes with a side of embarrassment:
You get fact-checked in front of the client.
You post the wrong thing and get roasted in the comments.
You realize too late your “quick fix” made the problem worse.
And so, a lot of people avoid these moments.They stay in their lane.They never stretch.Which also means... they never really grow.
Then Along Came AI — and Changed Everything
This is where it gets cool.
AI gives you something we’ve never had before:
A place to be wrong without shame.
You can test your assumptions. Check your blind spots.Challenge your knowledge.And you can do it privately. Instantly. On demand.
No raised eyebrows. No bruised ego.Just data. Feedback. Opportunity.
And here’s the part that hit me hardest:
The same tool that shows you where you're wrong...Will also teach you how to get it right.
It’s like having a hyper-intelligent coach who’s brutally honest — but totally chill about it.Doesn’t mock you. Doesn’t post your mistakes. Just says: “Here’s where you went off. Want to fix it?”
Metacognitive Resistance Training: Brain Gains, Activated
Yeah, I’m calling it that now. And no one’s stopped me yet.
Metacognitive resistance training is simple:
It’s the process of getting stronger by testing what you think you know.
This isn’t about learning new trivia. It’s about pressure-testing your current beliefs and seeing what breaks.
It’s where the growth happens. Not on stage. Not in a meeting. Not on a course slide.
Real skill grows quietly, where no one’s watching. Especially when no one’s judging.
Why This Matters (Like, Big Picture)
We’re drowning in confidence.Every social feed is full of people speaking with absolute certainty about things they Googled 90 seconds ago.
We don’t just have an information problem. We’ve got a confidence calibration problem.
And that’s where this little self-test — this brain CrossFit session — becomes a game-changer.
Because you don’t need:
A mastermind group.
A ten-week bootcamp.
A trust circle in a Slack channel.
You need:
A little humility.
A little curiosity.
And a willingness to hit “Enter.”
So… Want to Try It? I Made You a Tool.
No signups. No downloads. No judgment.Just a little light on the edges of your assumptions. It’s free. It’s private. Might sting a little.
But it will make you sharper.
And if you make it a weekly thing? Watch what happens.
Final Thought
Being wrong is inevitable. Staying wrong is optional.
You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room.But you do have to know where your gaps are — and be willing to fill them.
The people who win? They’re not always the loudest. They’re the ones constantly doing quiet reps in the background.
So go check yourself. Fall into the valley. Climb like hell!
Because this right here? This is the best time in history to be curious. To be bold. To be humble enough to say “I don’t know” —and hungry enough to fix that.
What a time to be alive. And a nerd. With internet. And coffee.
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