TLDR: trying to manufacture positive feelings actually makes us more fragile, we should focus on cultivating courage instead.
The Historical Misunderstanding of Confidence
- From Fraud to Virtue: The term "confidence" originally carried negative connotations of narcissism and deceit, famously leading to the moniker "confidence man" or "conman" in the 19th century.
- The Rise of Toxic Positivity: Thinkers like Norman Vincent Peale popularised the idea that positive affirmations and visualisations lead to success, a concept the self-help industry continually monetises despite a lack of scientific backing.
- The Competence Illusion: Humans are notoriously bad at evaluating their own skills, leading to the Dunning-Kruger effect where the incompetent are overly confident, whilst the highly skilled suffer from imposter syndrome.
- The Dark Side of Self-Esteem: Research in the 1990s showed that self-belief is not inherently good; for example, some of the most violent criminals possess incredibly high self-esteem and intense confidence in their destructive actions.