Several studies involving tasks and challenges ranging from golfing, rope skipping, and pistol shooting to taking academic exams and performing analytical tasks show, definitively, that when it comes to high performance, a healthy dose of self-doubt improves results. This is true because participants who experience self-doubt put in more effort, both in their preparation and during their performance. In both sports and academic pursuits, self-doubting participants pay more attention to their practice routine and invest more cognitive effort. Self-doubt, properly harnessed, combats complacency.
