Once You Know, You Can't Unknow
When you know something, you can't imagine what it's like not to know it.
Elizabeth Newton (1990) proved this with a simple tapping game—and the results were shocking!
Tappers tap out a song. Listeners guess what song it is.
Tappers predicted listeners would guess correctly 50% of the time.
The actual success rate? Just wait...
Can you guess this song from the taps?
Press "Play Rhythm" to hear the taps
Could you hear it? The tapper could—clearly! That's the curse.
The tapper cannot un-know the song. Their knowledge curses their ability to understand the listener's perspective.
Professors forget what it's like not to understand their subject. They skip "obvious" steps that confuse students.
Engineers use jargon assuming everyone knows what "API" or "bandwidth" means. Users get lost.
Doctors explain diagnoses in technical terms. Patients leave confused about their own health.
Authors assume readers know the backstory. Readers miss critical context.
Stanford PhD dissertation. 120 songs tapped. Only 3 guessed correctly (2.5%). Tappers predicted 50%.
Coined the term "curse of knowledge" in economic settings. Better-informed agents can't ignore private information.