Click for full show notes, exercises, and parenting scripts from this episodeDoes your teen act like they know everything? When teens think they know everything, their actions can be doubly dangerous: they are already operating without a full-functioning pre-frontal cortex. Know-it-all teens are overconfident in their knowledge about the world, and as a result, they disregard advice from parents, teachers, and other adults who really do know better. Arrogant teens may be even more likely to jump into action without weighing the possible consequences. Having a know-it-all teen can be hurtful, even scary, for parents as they find themselves stonewalled when attempting to impart advice and basic information. If there was only a way to show them how little they truly know about things like vaping, alcohol, sex, and how the world actually works!!Dr. Steve Sloman, co-author of The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone and professor at Brown Universit, took time off from his sabbatical semester to speak with me about the knowledge illusion teens (and most adults!) live under.  I was fascinated to learn about the study that is making people more humble and decreasing their polarization on a wide range of topics. Dr. Sloman’s book isn’t directly about parenting, however, his research and its implications offer novel understandings of how people—teens included—think and how parents can approach their teenagers to talk about issues that their teens may be overconfident in.Perhaps surprising, the human mind is hardwired for specialization—nobody can know everything! We might feel we know how everyday objects and the world around us works, but we call plumbers for our sinks, chat with IT departments for our computers, and listen to economic strategists for updates on the NYSE. This shared expertise creates a community of knowledge, giving us a false understanding of what we, as individuals, really know on our own.Teens don’t know everything, but they may often act and feel as if they do. This gives them a false sense of confidence when it comes to how they understand the world around them, and highly emotional teenagers will often act impulsively on this instinct, seriously impacting their future. Sloman believes the best way to make teens think about their choices is to ask them for in-depth explanations. Often, teens asked to explain “how things work” will be unable to, forcing them to make their own realizations about how little they truly know. This deeper understanding of human thought might be the key to helping your teen!During my interview with Dr. Sloman, we cover a range of topics, including:
Why the Knowledge Illusion exists and what that means for people
How making your teen a ‘local expert’ may help them do better in math 
Intuitive vs. deliberative thinking
How Assigned roles in teenage friend groups
A different way to look at 'not measuring up'
It was a privilege to talk to Dr. Sloman, who called me all the way from France! I was just blown away by insights and found our discussion riveting! I hope you will too!