It’s safe to say that this year proved to be a perfect breeding ground for all levels of stupidity. From anti-vaxxers coming up with the most insane conspiracy theories to an unprecedented spike in online disinformation, people were not shy to come across as, let’s say, not exactly the brightest ones.

At the same time, human intelligence varies astonishingly and it’s pretty hard to label one person dumb and another one smart. After all, even the smartest bunch can be prone to stupid decisions and behaviors. And who are we to judge them?

Just because someone posts a thing you find dumb or don’t agree with, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re that—this is plain fact. Nevertheless, some people seem to be really confident in making bold and improvident statements. Meanwhile, others tend to stop, reflect and even criticize themselves before acting boldly and jumping to conclusions.

Well it turns out that confidence is a powerful thing. In most cases, it’s totally productive and we’d all benefit a fair share if we worked on having more of it. Also, too much self-criticism is destructive and traps us in an eternal limbo. So to find out when having too much bold confidence does no good, we spoke with Susan Petang, a certified life coach and the author of “The Quiet Zone Coaching.”

Susan explained that “overconfidence can cause us to make big mistakes, or take unnecessary risks,” so no, the saying ‘you can never be confident enough’ is not exactly right. “Being overconfident can also contribute to us feeling entitled, and not considering the feelings of others,” she said.

“It's important to have a healthy sense of self-esteem and self-confidence, that's rooted in reality, and consider the needs and feelings of others, too,” Susan said. She suggested asking yourself “Where do you fit into the network of people that surround you? How are you impacting their world?”

Moreover, in order to make sure that your actions are fair and not over-confident, Susan suggests considering a couple of things beforehand.

“A) Is what I plan on doing going to hurt someone?

B) Is what I plan on doing going to hurt me?

C) Am I willing to accept the potential consequences of this action?

D) Is this action something that fits into my value system? Would the person I aspire to do this?”

Understanding the consequences of your actions also plays a huge part in coming across as a smart person. This is not to say that consequences are unimportant, since they make us learn lessons, but in many instances, people are not open to any transformation coming from them, because it entails acknowledging the fact you were wrong.

For example, spreading fake news, like that there are microchips inserted with the covid jab, may seem innocent at first sight. But it contributes to profound consequences that include: distrust in the media; undermining the democratic process; fueling the platforms for harmful conspiracy theories and hate speech; and the spread of false or discredited science.

In its profound sense, fake news creates a false reality that not just one or two people buy into, but thousands, and it creates a reality that those creating the fake news can manipulate to whatever they want it to be. Those lies, if continued to be perpetrated, can turn deadly or threaten societal stability.

Sadly, there's no proper system in place for transparency and accountability when it comes to what’s shared and who shares things on the internet. It’s still a grey area, where huge amounts of info are regurgitated on a daily basis. Should those people be held accountable? And this is an open-ended question, at least for now.