The Curse of Knowledge Bias is a cognitive bias where someone who knows a lot about a topic struggles to imagine what it’s like not to know it. This makes it hard for them to communicate effectively with someone less informed.
Key Features:
- Assumes others know what you know: You may explain things in ways that make sense to experts but confuse beginners.
- Common in teaching, leadership, writing, and UX design: Experts often skip over basics, use jargon, or move too fast.
- Impacts empathy and communication: It reduces your ability to see from the perspective of a less knowledgeable person.
Example:
A software engineer might say:
“Just SSH into the server and update the YAML config.”
To a non-technical colleague, this is almost meaningless, but the engineer doesn’t realize that because they assume a shared baseline of knowledge.
Avoiding It:
- Use plain language and define terms.
- Ask questions to gauge the listener’s understanding.
- Test your explanations with someone less familiar with the topic.
- Use analogies or stories that relate to the listener’s world.
part of Bias, Fallacy, Paradox