Which statement best describes overconfidence?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question focus: understanding what overconfidence means in the context of investor behavior.
Option a: 'It is the same as optimism.' While optimism is related, overconfidence is a bias where someone overestimates their own knowledge or ability, whereas optimism is a general expectation that good things will happen. They are not identical, so this statement is misleading.
Option b: 'It leads to excessive trading and underperformance of investors.' This captures a well-documented consequence: overconfident investors may trade more than is prudent, incur higher costs, and often underperform due to poor timing or ignoring evidence, which aligns with behavioral finance findings.
Option c: 'It causes investors to underestimate their skills.' This is the opposite of overconfidence. Overconfidence involves overestimating one’s skills, not underestimating them, so this option is incorrect.
Option d: 'It will not lead to illusion of knowledge' An overconfident stance commonly accompanies an illusion of knowledge, where a person believes they understand more than they actually do. Saying it will not lead to that illusion contradicts well-established concepts, making this option false.
Option e: 'It will not lead to illusion of control' In fact, overconfidence can contribute to an illusion of control, where individuals overestimate their influence over random outcomes. This statement wrongly asserts no such illusion, so it is incorrect.
Overall, the statements point toward option b as the correct description, since the essence of overconfidence in investors often manifests as excessive trading and poorer results due to biased self-perception and decision-making.

Which statement best describes overconfidence?

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