Also it's only triggered with certain kind of display of confidence (like aggressive confidence, or confidence mixed with poor vocabulary/skill, etc). E.G: the confidence of a humble but strong expert does not trigger the reaction.

That very much implies it's not hardwired, though, just that it requires unlearning.

but people who seem merely reasonably confident slip under your radar, even if they are faking it.

I mean, I guess I would feel a little weird if I thought you felt you needed to fake confidence around me, so there is that.

Is there an optimal level of confidence you can project to get the optimal social response from me, and is that optimal level other than the lowest level possible? Yeah, sure.

My main point was just that my reaction to people who are too confident is immediate, negative and extremely strong. I do my best to ignore it like all other bits of personality that aren't relevant to the role, of course, if it's a role where confidence doesn't matter... but I am human, and these things leak.

I was just bringing this up as a counterpoint to the "humans are hard wired to favor displays of confidence" because, as I mentioned before, I am human, and have a significantly negative (and difficult to consciously suppress) response to levels of confidence that seem to be normal in the marketing professions.

I have the same reaction, which is a result of working in and around sales for years. Before that though I think I was just as susceptible.