It’s interesting how so much begins with ‘do your own research’. Increasingly as we search for ‘the truth’ the phrase has understandably amalgamized in areas where consumer distrust lurks.
I find myself doing my own research, be it simple facts of the type found at a pub quiz which, compared to leafing through a set of Encyclopaedia Britannica online is very accessible or, which something (insert household object) is the better amongst a range of the same object. When it comes to the `something I have no experience in’ or of (insert a range of subjects) but am fascinated by, or need to gain experience, listening to experts is more accessible compared to trying to make sense of lengthy published papers where I can easily get carried away from one thread to another, until I’m completely off track entirely. At this point I question how helpful my DIY research is compared to going directly to someone with experience.
Being mindful of where information is derived from is important, as reinforced to me in an article containing a new phrase for me: `Beginner’s Bubble’. This is when somebody’s confidence with a subject increase faster than their actual knowledge and is probably the reason I think I could enter mastermind after a (failed) round of Trivial Pursuit.
When someone is in the early stages of learning they may not realize how much more there is to come; applied to daily life this obviously involves financial decision making. For someone with limited experience (in any subject or area) it means being less informed, which leads to being more confused. This can have long-term consequences, especially in financial matters where there can be many opaque areas that need the benefit of experience.
