Have you ever met someone who is very confident, but very rude at the same time? They feel like they are better than anyone else, and they are not afraid to say it out loud. At the same time, they seem like very successful people, and it leaves you wondering how that is possible.
If you’ve followed Donald Trump’s numerous scandals, you may have noticed how he is always rude and too confident. It really makes you wonder how he even won the elections, despite having such an attitude – and with people all over the world knowing how he really is.
So, what makes overconfident people charming enough to make them come on top? You’re about to find out.
Donald Trump and His Love for Himself
It’s not hard to notice how President Donald Trump thinks too highly of himself, even in situations when he should be ashamed. For instance, not long ago he was accused of having an affair while his wife, Melania Trump, was pregnant. Did he show any sign of remorse? Not really. He kept his head up and has shown confidence. You can read about this also in this self-confidence essay.
Recently, Donald Trump attended a press conference where he didn’t fail to make it about him. When asked about the accusations against Brett Kavanaugh, he declared that the three women were all liars. Moreover, he reminded people of the times when he was accused by women of assault – and declared that they were paid to do that.
Basically, he doesn’t miss any chance to make things about himself, brag about the things he’s done, or complain about things he didn’t get credit for. He thinks he is superior and deserves praise and more success.
Personally, I wonder how he was able to win the elections, considering everyone seemed to be against him while rooting for Hillary Clinton. While getting a clear answer may be hard, I think that his confidence is what helped him. Actually, his overconfidence is what helped him go through all of his scandals too, in my opinion.
Rudeness and confidence are often associated with power. While people don’t think highly of rude people, they always seem to be one step ahead of everyone. Basically, people who are rude and show their superiority are, for some reason, placed on a pedestal.
Why Are Overconfident People So Successful?
As mentioned, it seems like people who are treating everyone else with inferiority have an advantage compared to those who don’t. They always seem to be out of people’s reach. Overconfident people come across as jerks in order to reap the rewards that come with it. In spite of people giving them a lot of negative feedback, overconfident people don’t care; they are able to achieve success with or without feedback.
According to some studies on overconfidence, while it leads to disadvantages, there are people who perceive it as something positive. A study had a group of people place cities on a map of North America unmarked by national or state borders. Afterward, they were asked to rate themselves, as well as the other members.
Some people were rating their knowledge far higher than deserved, but they were also getting higher marks from their partners. Basically, overconfident people are thought to have more social status.
Another study focused on showing people a video of a person rudely ordering a meal at a café, while he tapped cigarette ashes on the ground and put his feet on another chair. They were also shown a video of the same person being polite and having manners. People who participated said that being rude seemed to have a different impact. Apparently, it was easier to get people to listen to what he said, and he could take decisions easily. This was not the same with the polite version of the video.
As I mentioned above when talking about Donald Trump, people perceive rudeness as a sign of power. Overconfident and rude people are considered to be more in control and more powerful compared to people who are nice and always play by the rules.
The studies we talked about show that people who break the norms are more likely to be venerated. The cause is the fact that they don’t care about the repercussions – and their power is suggested exactly through this. Maybe that’s how Trump was able to get on top too – he keeps breaking the norm while keeping an overconfident attitude.
Final Thoughts
Despite being criticized by a lot of people, rudeness and overconfidence seem to be the way to success. Those who have gotten to the top while displaying overconfidence seem more powerful than those who are less confident about themselves. Therefore, this is why you rarely see powerful people showing kindness – because it’s perceived as a weakness.