Scientific Definition
Most of us think we're above average. Statistically, we can't be.
Plain-English Definition
Most of us think we're above average. Statistically, we can't be.
Feynman Explanation
93% of drivers and 100% of executives believe they're above average.
Core Principle
Most of us think we're above average. Statistically, we can't be.
Mechanisms
Most of us think we're above average. Statistically, we can't be.
Pending editorial review.
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Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
93% of drivers and 100% of executives believe they're above average.
Examples
- Performance reviews where everyone rates themselves top quartile.
- Calibration broken because nobody is willing to be the middle.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- External benchmarking. Anonymous peer reviews.
Measurement Approaches
Pending editorial review.
Evidence
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- External benchmarking. Anonymous peer reviews.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Interactive Mini Network
Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.
Knowledge Graph Neighbors
Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.
We see bias in others more easily than in ourselves.
Low ability paired with high confidence.
Cold-state decisions don't survive hot-state moments.
Believing we influence outcomes that are largely random.
Confidence in predictions outruns their actual accuracy.
Avoiding information that might be unpleasant.
Confidence routinely outruns calibration.
We assume our current state will persist into the future.
Overestimating our ability to control future impulses.
Wins are ours; losses are circumstantial.
We assume others notice us more than they do.
A story repeats until it becomes obviously true.