Research shows that intellectual humility is correlated with more general knowledge, curiosity and open-mindedness. No one knows everything. Recognising this limitation and the potential fallibility of even our most deeply held beliefs is core to the concept of intellectual humility.
“It helps you overcome this very categorical, black-and-white thinking that we are often succumbing to,” said Igor Grossmann, professor of psychology at the University of Waterloo, Ontario. The idea of intellectual humility has been around for centuries, with philosophers deeming it a virtue to be aware of and acknowledge our limitations. However, experimental interest by psychologists became popular only within the past decade or so in response to rising political polarisation in the United States.
They saw intellectual humility as a potential antidote..