Confidence: What Does It Do? | Richard Petty | TEDxOhioStateUniversity

Confidence has become a buzzword and everyone wants to be confident. Dr. Richard Petty talks about what confidence actually is, and his research on the subject matter. Richard discusses that someone who is very confident is more likely to take action regardless of how good or how bad that idea/thought may be.
Richard Petty is Distinguished University Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at The Ohio State University. He received his B.A. from the University of Virginia with a double major in political science and psychology and his Ph.D. in social psychology from Ohio State. Petty’s research focuses on the automatic and deliberative factors responsible for influencing people’s attitudes, decisions, and behaviors.
He has published eight books and over 300 research articles and chapters. Petty is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association for Psychological Science, the American Psychological Association, and four other societies. His honors include the Scientific Impact Award from the Society of Experimental Social Psychology and the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards from the Societies for Personality and Social Psychology and Consumer Psychology.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at