Humans are hypersocial animals. We're desperate to be liked and belong because in the distant past that was how we survived. We need our group. So that's why we spend so much time in school trying to look smart and impress people. That makes us want to cover up and try to deny our mistakes rather than getting them out in the open so that we can learn from them. The crazy thing is, trying to look smart actually sets you up to become dumber in the long run. The long-term strategy to becoming smarter is getting your dumb mistakes out in the open so we can fix them.