Men are often perceived as more confident than women due to gender stereotypes. However, confidence is a complex and nuanced concept.
While people generally believe that being confident in your beliefs is positive, the question arises: Is confidence the same when you’re wrong?
According to a study from 2026 published in the political economy journal, this conundrum is explored.
In this study, participants underwent a standard intelligence test based on Raven’s Progressive Matrices, originally created by British psychologist John Raven in the 1930s.
Previous research has shown little disparity between men and women in these tests, with some studies indicating a slight advantage for men.
However, a recent study adjusted the test to consider participants’ confidence levels, based on how much they were willing to bet on the correctness of their answer.
The participants were tasked with solving 36 nine-piece puzzles, each consisting of a 3×3 symbol matrix with one missing symbol and eight potential choices for the missing piece.
Financial incentives were provided to improve accuracy, with participants able to win up to $72 by choosing the correct piece each time. Results showed that offering monetary rewards increased accuracy significantly.
Interestingly, women exhibited lower performance compared to the average in scenarios without rewards. However, their performance improved when monetary incentives were introduced, especially in the 80-token scenario where women outperformed men.
These results suggest that confidence can be influenced by financial incentives, challenging the notion that men are encouraged to be “overconfident” by society.
On the contrary, women demonstrate that they are not insecure but rather exhibit confidence appropriately when they know they are right.
While people may speculate on the real-life implications of studies like these, it’s important to note that the results represent averages and should not be used to make sweeping generalizations.
Whether it’s buying a new car, house, or gym membership, feel free to use these insights to inform your decisions.
This article answers the question (by James Galbreath of Chesterfield): “Who is more confident, men or women?”
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