The joy of being proven wrong

Recently, a friend asked me why I carried two phones. I told him how I’ve had that number since I was 16 and wanted to keep it so that people would always know how to get in touch with me. My work phone would change with each job change, but that number would be consistent.

Through some Socratic questioning, he quickly pointed out the flaws in that argument in 2015. With most messaging moving to WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger and email being predominant, I realized how few people I actually text with my number and how easy any change would be.

Finally, after a few minutes, I decided to get rid of my second phone. My friend, happy to have won the argument, wanted to rub it in and asked, “How does it feel to be proven wrong?!?!”

When I thought about it, it actually felt great! There’s this negative stigma associated with being proven wrong, but in fact, it should be a really joyful experience. Anytime you are proven wrong, almost by definition, you have been made some combination of wiser, smarter, or richer. In this case, by getting rid of my second phone, I would save $480/year, be wiser in terms of my use of technology, and not have to carry two phones in my pocket all the time. How is that not a great thing?

I think we often hate being proven wrong due to hurt pride, but if you think about it, it should be a wonderful feeling.