Overconfidence can harm your health

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Researchers found that older people, who are too confident in their health, do not go to the doctor as regularly as they should, which leads to problems as diseases remain undiagnosed. The opposite is true for less self-confident people who frequently visit doctors.

“Prejudiced perception of one's own abilities is a feature of human nature. Individuals who overestimate their health visit the doctor less often than individuals who correctly assess their health, which is crucial for preventive measures such as screening. On the contrary, people who underestimate their health go to the doctor more often. The effects of visiting a dentist are similar, but we did not find any effect on hospital stays,” commented a therapist on the study.

Self-confidence is associated with risk, which can further affect health. These included drinking more alcohol, more accidents, lack of sleep, and unhealthy diets.

Identifying patients with poor health perceptions and reducing unnecessary doctor visits can have important implications for the effectiveness of health system rationing mechanisms. I'm all over the world.