Intellectual Humility
While listening to a Hidden Brain podcast episode on wisdom, I came across the term intellectual humility. I instantly resonated with it. I began reflecting on how it shows up in my own life, digging deeper into the research, and felt inspired to share some thoughts here.
Intellectual humility is the recognition and openness to our own cognitive limitations. It’s the willingness to admit we might not know everything, and that we could even be wrong. This doesn’t mean dismissing our beliefs or discounting our knowledge. Instead, it means we can be confident in what we do know, while staying open to what we don’t.
My Story with Certainty
Growing up, I noticed that I rarely stated things with conviction or certainty. I was often labeled as shy or insecure, and for a while I believed this must mean something was “wrong” with me or my intellect. Looking back, I see that while some of this was true: being shy and insecure, much of it was that certainty just didn’t always feel authentic to me.
We live in a world that places such high value on certainty that we forget the importance of flexibility, curiosity, and the unknown. Certainty for the sake of certainty can become performative. (For a deeper reflection on how clinging to certainty can limit growth and connection, read here.) I remember feeling a pressure to project intellect as if worthiness depended on it. And yet, I’m grateful for the part of me that resisted the pull to over-perform, and instead stayed closer to my own way of being with my insecurity.
Over time, I’ve come to embrace what once felt like insecurity as a strength: the power of not knowing. The beginner’s mindset. The humility of being open. To me, this is where wisdom lives. I am reminded of some of our society values. We live in a society that reveres confidence and at the same time this society conflates certainty with confidence.
The more deeply we connect with ourselves and the world, the more we realize just how nuanced everything is. How can we ever be fully certain?
Observations of Intellectual Humility
Think about conversations where someone’s knowledge truly shines. For example, in the podcast I mentioned, researcher Igor Grossman, radiated expertise — but what stood out to me most was his openness. He learned through experimentation, intuition, testing hypotheses, and yes, sometimes being wrong. A good scientist, after all, is intellectually humble.
I believe the same applies to therapy. A good therapist is curious, flexible, and willing to see from multiple angles. In contrast, we’ve all met people who may be incredibly intelligent but rigid, unwilling to hear other perspectives, and closed to possibility. Research shows this kind of rigidity is limiting, and honestly, we don’t need research to know how it feels to be around this energy — frustrating and stifling.
Intellectual humility, by contrast, is flexible, dynamic, and curious. And in a world that is always changing, cultivating this quality is not just helpful, but essential.
Why It Matters
Research highlights many benefits of intellectual humility:
Better decision-making
Healthier relationships and communication
Improved learning and intellectual growth
Reduced anxiety
Greater tolerance and less polarization (something we urgently need right now)
It’s also personally freeing. Intellectual humility relieves the pressure of always needing to “have it together” or know the answers. It’s not about lowering expectations — it’s about releasing rigidity so we can learn and adapt more fluidly.
How to Cultivate Intellectual Humility
So, how do we actually practice this? A few things come to mind, both from research and personal experience:
Metacognitive awareness: Notice your own thinking. Ask: Am I being closed off? Could I be wrong here?
Seek different perspectives: Engage with people who see differently than you. Read, listen, and stay curious.
Reframe mistakes: Rather than shaming yourself, view mistakes as opportunities. Ask: What did I learn? What can I do differently next time?
Mindfulness: Slowing down and being present helps loosen defensiveness and creates space for openness.
Feedback Loop
What I love about intellectual humility is that it creates a feedback loop with embodiment. The more we embody it, the more natural it becomes. The more we cultivate it, the more embodied we feel. We see the world more clearly — not only how we want it to be, but as it truly is.
This way of being allows us to move through life with more flow, openness, and curiosity. Paradoxically, it’s this humility, the acceptance of not knowing , that makes us wiser, more grounded, and more capable leaders in our own lives.
-Imuri
