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Inc.: If you experience impostor syndrome, science says you're probably more interpersonally effective and likely to enjoy greater success

05 Jun 2023
Think you aren't good enough? Oddly enough, research shows that feeling will make you more charming and productive.

Originally found at Inc.

I asked what brought him to Dubai. I asked about his family. I asked about his kids. I asked what being an expat for 20-plus years was like. His life was so different from mine, and I really enjoyed the conversation. Then his assistant popped in to take me to meet someone else. 

"Wait," he said. "That wasn't fair. I was looking forward to meeting you, and yet somehow you got me to spend the entire time talking about myself."

I smiled to myself, because that's what I usually do. I know all about me. I know too much about me. You're the interesting one.

But now I know why, in certain situations, I'm especially likely to employ a little social jujitsu, the ancient art of getting people to talk about themselves.

According to a study published in Academy of Management Journal, when people experience impostor syndrome -- in simple terms, feeling that people believe you're smarter, more skilled, more experienced, or more "something" than you think you are -- they instinctively try to shift attention to the people around them.

Continue reading the original article at Inc.

Read the original research in Academy of Management Journal.

Read the Academy of Management Insights summary.

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