>_ ELI5: impostor syndrome You did a great job... but you feel like a FAKE 🎭 You (🚀 astronaut!) real skills, real work but brain says... 🎭 "It's just a costume" "I'll be found out" 🏆 You succeed Get a gold star 🌟 Win a prize Boss says "great job!" → good things happen to you 🧠 Brain tells a lie "You got lucky 🎲" "Others are smarter" "Soon they'll know" → the impostor feeling ✅ The truth Everyone feels this sometimes Even astronauts 🚀 & teachers 📚 The feeling = NOT the fact → you really did earn it 💛 eli5.cc

ELI5: impostor syndrome

high confidence
April 20, 2026other

// explanation

// eli5Impostor syndrome is when you feel like a fake even though you're actually really good at something [1][2]. Imagine you won a trophy at school, but you keep thinking 'I didn't really deserve this' or 'I just got lucky' - even though you worked hard and did great. Your brain tells you that you're not as smart or talented as everyone thinks, even when the evidence shows you are [2][3]. It's like wearing an invisible costume and worrying someone will discover you're not who they think you are [5].

// sources

[1]Impostor syndrome - Wikipedia

Impostor syndrome, also known as impostor phenomenon or impostorism, is a psychological experience in which a person suffers from feelings of intellectual and/ ...

[2]Learning to Deal With the Impostor Syndrome - The New York Times

Oct 26, 2015 ... A feeling of “phoniness in people who believe that they are not intelligent, capable or creative despite evidence of high achievement.”

[3]My experience with imposter syndrome — and how to (partly ...

Apr 21, 2022 ... Imposter syndrome is fundamentally about a disconnect between your beliefs about your abilities and your actual abilities, so it often makes it ...

[4]Impostor Syndrome: How To Overcome Feeling Like A Fraud : Life Kit

Feb 1, 2021 ... IMES: The impostor phenomenon is a feeling by many high-achieving people that they're not as intelligent, as bright, as creative, as able as ...

[5]Imposter Syndrome | Psychology Today

People who struggle with imposter syndrome believe that they are undeserving of their achievements and the high esteem in which they are, in fact, generally ...

[6]What is imposter syndrome and how can you combat it? - Elizabeth Coxvideo

Video by TED-Ed

What is imposter syndrome and how can you combat it? - Elizabeth Cox
[7]6 Signs You Might Have Impostor Syndromevideo

Video by Psych2Go

6 Signs You Might Have Impostor Syndrome
[8]What Do You Know About Imposter Syndrome?video

Video by Dr. Tracey Marks

What Do You Know About Imposter Syndrome?

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