Are you a better than average driver? Almost everyone says yes to this question. Even people in the hospital because they just drove their car into a stranger’s house.
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Students think that they are better than average students. Teachers think they are better than average teachers. Organisation leaders think that they are better than average leaders.
Remember Yogi Bear? He often said that he was smarter than the average bear. Of course, not everyone can be better than average. Mathematically speaking, only half can be. This better-than-average thinking is a type of self-serving bias. We see ourselves as better than average in just about every way. People even say they are better than average in rating themselves accurately.
Some individuals consider themselves way beyond “better than average”. Donald Trump, for instance, says he has the best brain, he has the best words, he hires the best people, and he is the best president ever. Naturally, I reckon that I am a better than average newspaper columnist. For your reading pleasure, I did a deep internal inventory of my personal characteristics to find some where I consider myself worse than average.
I found only one: I am worse than average at remembering names. For example, it takes me several seconds to think of the name of my favourite actor, Tom Hanks.
Not wanting to be worse than average, I used several memory methods to burn his name into my mind. I pictured his name printed. I wrote it out, and I created a rhyming story with visual clues in it: Tom Hanks has lesser stars on his flanks, and many people give thanks for Hanks.
I asked my research assistant to test my Tom Hanks memory a week later. When tested, I came up with his name quickly. But I still don’t rate my name memory better than average. The female star of Hunger Games? I can picture her – searching memory, searching more – Jennifer Lawrence!
Not all people think they are better than average in almost every way. Studies show that depressed individuals think they are worse. A depressed friend confirmed this negative bias. She considers herself worse than average as a driver, a company employee, etc.
Psychologists think that the better-than-average bias helps keep people happy. So, if you think you are better than average in just about every way, keep thinking that. Be happy.
John Malouff is an Associate Professor at the School of Behavioural, Cognitive and Social Sciences, University of New England.
