How good do I look? Mike Powell/Getty
Ever had the sense that everyone else is an idiot? Maybe that’s a tad overblown, but when it comes to smarts, looks, charisma and general psychological adjustment, there’s no denying you are a cut above the average person in the street. Or on the road: have you seen how those jerks drive?
Well, here’s the bad news. Pretty much everyone else is thinking the same thing.
The phenomenon of self-enhancement – viewing ourselves as above average – , professions and , and to capabilities from driving to playing chess. It does have advantages. People who are more impressed with themselves tend to make better first impressions, be generally happier and may even . High self-estimation : anthropologist , argues that when we’ve tricked ourselves, we don’t have to work so hard to trick others, too.
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Confidence also helps in finding a romantic partner, and so in reproduction. When it comes to overestimating our looks, we’re all at it – although men are on average worse offenders than women. According to a study earlier this year by Marcel Yoder of the University of Illinois in Springfield and his colleagues, : they accurately assess other people’s lesser perception of them, while persisting in a more positive…
