Curse of knowledge
The curse of knowledge is a cognitive bias that occurs when an individual, who is well-informed about a subject, finds it challenging to think about the subject from the perspective of someone who lacks that knowledge.
How it works
When people acquire expertise in a particular area, they often struggle to convey that knowledge in a way that is understandable to novices. This is because they forget what it is like not to know the material, leading to overestimation of how much others know and underestimation of the complexity of their own knowledge.
Examples
- A professor explaining a complex concept to students without realizing they might be unfamiliar with foundational concepts.
- A software developer writing technical documentation that is too advanced for end users without technical background.
- A manager assuming their new employee understands industry-specific jargon that they use in meetings.
Consequences
This bias can lead to communication breakdowns, misunderstandings, and an inability to effectively teach or share information. It can also create frustration and a lack of engagement among audiences who feel overwhelmed or left out.
Counteracting
To counteract the curse of knowledge, experts should make a conscious effort to adopt the perspective of a novice, explain concepts in simple terms, and encourage questions. Utilizing analogies and having non-experts review content can also help ensure clarity.
Critiques
While the curse of knowledge highlights important communication challenges, some argue that it oversimplifies the challenges experts face in communicating complex information and overlooks the effort many make to bridge these gaps.
Fields of Impact
Also known as
Relevant Research
The curse of knowledge in economic settings: An experimental analysis
Camerer, C., Loewenstein, G., & Weber, M. (1989)
The curse of expertise: The effects of expertise and debiasing methods on predictions of novice performance
Hinds, P. J. (1999)
Knowledge convergence in computer-supported collaborative learning: The role of external representation of knowledge
Fischer, F., & Mandl, H. (2005)
Case Studies
Real-world examples showing how Curse of knowledge manifests in practice
Context
A mid-stage fintech startup launched a new feature to automatically move spare cash into investment accounts. The product team — composed of engineers and financial analysts — was excited to ship a feature that reduced decision friction for savvy users.
Situation
The rollout included an in-app toggle labeled 'AutoSweep' and a short setting called 'sweep threshold' with a single-line help link. Product owners assumed the terms were self-explanatory and pushed a lightweight email to announce the change instead of a guided walkthrough.
The Bias in Action
Team members, who had deep domain knowledge, could not imagine users being unsure what 'sweep' or 'threshold' meant. During design reviews they repeatedly used jargon and skipped step-by-step examples, believing real users would infer intent from context. Customer support and UX researchers flagged potential confusion, but their concerns were downplayed because the team thought the concept was obvious. The marketing copy also mirrored internal language, reinforcing the same assumptions.
Outcome
Within six weeks post-launch, feature activation was far below expectations and support volume rose noticeably. Many users either didn't enable the feature or enabled it with settings that didn't match their cash-flow needs, producing small but repeated bank overdraft disputes and refund requests. The product team had to pause marketing, produce clarifying content, and ship a second release with simpler labels and an onboarding flow.