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Given that females are almost universally attracted to confidence/"alpha"-ness, males are better off believing that they're better than they are. (And knowing this may make you worse off, for either gender).

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Why does knowing it make you worse off? If you're a man, you're better off knowing it, because confidence can be increased by practice. If you're a woman, you're also better off, because you can better distinguish confidence from real skill in men.

If we consider the Dunning-Kruger effect, the majority of people who are confident of their abilities are more likely to be incompetent; thus perpetuating the confident buffoon mentality since they are more likely to find a mate compared to those who at least know that they are ignorant.

"Given that females are almost universally attracted to confidence"

Do you have a citation for that assertion?

No doubt he'll cite "The Game." It's the new bible, don't you know?

No, just anecdotal evidence and personal experience. And the dismissiveness of the sibling poster aside, yes, pick-up artists can be very successful by faking signals of confidence and status. Believe me, I wish it weren't true, because my personality is the exact opposite of what most women appear to find attractive. (Of course it's great for being "friends"...)

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