Self-enhancement Bias Research Articles

Green Consumption, Environmental Regulation and Carbon Emissions—An Empirical Study Based on a PVAR Model

China’s proposed double carbon goal makes it urgent to promote green consumption and green lifestyles. The present study selected separate economic indicators of urban and rural areas and assigned different weights in the construction of a green consumption indicator system. Based on data from 30 provinces (excluding Tibet) between 2003 and 2019, this study investigated the connections between green consumption, environmental regulations, and carbon emissions, analyzing their mechanism. This study found that green consumption will reduce anthropogenic carbon emissions in the short term but will result in low carbon emissions in the long term. Environmental rules have a definite long-term impact on green consumption, as evidenced by the “U”-shaped trend they follow. Second, this study found that the level of green consumption exhibits a rising and then falling trend on the vegetation’s capacity to sequester carbon, and the impeding force will become stronger over time. Third, this study found that green consumption innately has a degree of inertia and self-enhancement bias.

Fake news and partisan blame attribution: Exploring the mediating role of self-enhancing perceptual bias among young adults

ABSTRACT The politicized public discourse on online ‘fake news’ today has contributed to the rise in scholarly interest on blame attribution for this fake news problem, particularly when the attribution is directed at an outgroup. A study comprising of 284 young adults (selected for their heavy reliance on digital social networks for their news consumption) sought to ascertain the impact of partisan strength on this outgroup blame attribution effect, as well as identify potential cognitive factors that explain this effect. A path analysis confirmed the relationship between partisan strength and outgroup blame attribution, and suggests that perceived self vs. outgroup differences in the ability to spot fake news acts as a small but significant partial mediator in this relationship. Self-enhancing bias, or the need to protect self-esteem, is suggested as a motivator for this mediating relationship.

Coaching efficacy and coaching effectiveness in predicting athlete satisfaction: A self-other agreement framework

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between coaching efficacy (i.e. coaches’ efficacy beliefs) regarding their competence, coaching effectiveness (i.e. athlete's perception regarding their coaches’ efficacy), and the athletes’ level of satisfaction with their sport experience. As both coaches and athletes can have different evaluations of coaches’ abilities, the different perspectives of coaches and athletes can reveal the dynamics within a coach–athlete dyad. We used 380 competitive college basketball coach–player dyads to determine the differences between coaching efficacy and coaching effectiveness. Drawing on the theoretical argument from the self-other agreement framework and self-enhancement bias, we hypothesize that coaching efficacy (i.e. measured from coaches) is higher than coaching effectiveness (i.e. measured from athletes) and that coaching effectiveness can better predict athlete satisfaction than coaching efficacy. We analyze our data using Welch t-test, random coefficient modeling, and polynomial regression with response surface methodology to test our hypotheses. Our results support our hypotheses such that coaching efficacy is significantly higher than coaching effectiveness and that other-ratings have a better predictive validity for athlete satisfaction, as self-ratings (coach's efficacy belief) could be inflated by self-enhancement. Our findings on athletes’ perceptions highlight the importance of athlete-centric coaching mechanisms.

Seeing the self through rose-colored glasses: A cross-cultural study of positive illusions using a behavioral approach.

Previous studies on self-enhancement bias used self-report measures to investigate individual and cultural differences in well-being. In the current research, we took a behavioral approach to analyze positive and negative perception tendencies between European Canadians, Asian Canadians and Koreans. In Study 1 and 2, participants were asked to bet on their expectation of success on a given task and then perform the task. The betting behaviors and actual performance were used to quantify positive and negative perception tendencies. In Study 1, we did not find cultural differences in positive and negative illusions. Positive self-perceptions were also not associated with higher self-reported well-being. In Study 2, we employed the same research design as Study 1, and we included a measure of perceived desirability to examine whether perceived desirability of the performance tasks are related to the two illusions indices. The results from Study 2 replicated the findings from Study 1, and perceived desirability did not influence the results. Our findings suggest that North Americans do not always exhibit more positive self-perceptions than Asians, suggesting that North Americans do not always view the self through rose-colored lenses.

Coaching Efficacy in Predicting Athlete Satisfaction: A Self-other Agreement Model

Coaching efficacy represents the extent to which coaches have abilities to influence the learning and performance of their athletes. Research on coaching efficacy has increased dramatically over the past two decades and identified that coaching efficacy (coach self-rating) is significantly higher than coaching effectiveness (athlete other-rating). This incongruence has called for further investigations. To address this issue, we aim to compare the source of rating (coach or athlete) on coach abilities in predicting athlete outcomes (i.e., satisfaction). Drawing on the self-other agreement model, we assert that coaching efficacy from an athlete’s perspective may have better predictive validity of athlete outcomes as self-ratings (coaching efficacy) often time may be inflated by self-enhancement bias. We used 380 competitive college basketball players and 38 coaches and demonstrated that athlete other-rating coaching efficacy is more reliable than coach self-rating coach efficacy in predicting athlete satisfaction. My findings are in line with the literature that views leader-follower interaction as a process of social construction, and followers’ perspectives on leaders can identify the way they want to be influenced.

On the Effect of COVID-19 on Drivers' Behavior: A Survey Study.

COVID-19 had a disruptive effect on the global community. This study looks at the effects that the stringent lockdown measures enacted in March 2020 had on motorists' driving patterns. In particular, given the greater portability of remote working associated with the drastic decline in personal mobility, it is hypothesized that these may have served as accelerators for distracted and aggressive driving. To answer these questions, an online survey was conducted in which 103 respondents were asked to report on their own and other drivers' driving behavior. While respondents agreed they drove less frequently, they also indicated that they were not prone to more aggressive driving or engaging in potentially distracting activities whether for work or personal purposes. When asked to report on other motorists' behavior, however, respondents indicated they had witnessed more aggressive and distracting drivers on the road after March 2020 relative to the time before the pandemic. These findings are reconciled with the existing literature on self-monitoring and self-enhancement bias, and the existing literature on the effect of comparable large-scale, disruptive events on traffic patterns is used to discuss the hypothesis on how driving patterns may change after the pandemic.

Modesty brings gains: The mechanisms of individual psychology and social culture

<p id="p00005">Modesty, or humility, is a character strength and virtue jointly advocated by Eastern and Western cultures, which promotes individuals’ well-being and helps us better cope with risks and difficulties. In the past two decades, researchers from different fields have studied the concept structure, measurement method, influencing factors, and effects of modesty, and made important progress. <br/>From the perspective of psychology, modesty has been regarded as an important personality trait, which involves the individual internal and interpersonal characteristics, such as moderate self-perception, low self-centeredness along with high pro-social tendencies, and less self-enhancing or boastful. The phenomenon of "modesty brings gains" is also reflected in individual and interpersonal aspects. Modesty helps individuals evaluate themselves objectively and accurately, reduces self-enhancement bias, and has a positive impact on the individuals’ mental health; modesty helps individuals succeed in interpersonal communication, reduces interpersonal conflicts, and maintains good interpersonal relationships; modesty can promote teamwork within the organization, maintain team harmony, and be helpful for the long-term development of the individual and organization. However, the question of how modesty functions has not yet been fully explained. <br/>Based on previous studies, the current work examined the mechanism of "modesty brings gains" from three perspectives: cognition, motivation, and norms. The cognitive hypothesis of "self-knowledge" suggests that modesty is an individual's willingness to seek objective and accurate self-knowledge or the ability to correctly view their strengths and weaknesses. It includes two internal processes: metacognition and low self-centeredness. From the perspective of metacognition, modesty involves the individual's static awareness and reflective evaluation of self-related information, as well as the dynamic process of self-regulation. Low self-centeredness means that modest individuals have low self-centered tendencies, no sense of entitlement and superiority, and are good at discovering the advantages of others and affirming their contributions. <br/>The motivation hypothesis of "social oil" focuses on the social characteristics of modesty and emphasizes the important role of modesty in creating, regulating, and maintaining harmonious interpersonal relationships. Modesty is a polite rule in social interaction, conveying the message of friendliness, cooperation, and altruism. People who take modest self-presentation strategy can avoid potential interpersonal risks, protect others' self-esteem, and maintain balance in interpersonal relationships. Modest individuals will not only in the aspect of behavior control their desire and impulse, and act more fairly in cognitive level, which helps to maintain social harmony. <br/>The normative hypothesis of "traditional virtues" pays attention to the cultural attributes of modesty, and emphasizes the influence of social and cultural environmental factors on the formation and adaptability of modesty. In Chinese culture, modest is not only a personal inherent trait but also an important social norm that affects people's behaviors in social interactions. The norm of modesty is a kind of social script, which limits the social behaviors that individuals should make in interpersonal interaction. Violating the norms of modesty can easily arouse people's resentment, even hostility and exclusion. <br/>Modesty is a complex psychological phenomenon involving multiple aspects such as personality, cognition, culture, and society. The current study provided explanations of the mechanism of "modesty brings gains" from three perspectives, and future research is encouraged to explore the connotation and psychological structure, the potential boundary conditions and neural basis of modesty.

I Am Better Than Others: Waste Management Policies and Self-Enhancement Bias

Waste source separation has been a social dilemma globally with a low participation rate. This research attempted to solve this dilemma by exploring the effect of mandatory (versus voluntary) policies on waste separation from the perspective of the self-versus based on deterrence theory and self-enhancement motivation. Hypothetical scenarios were used to demonstrate the effectiveness of mandatory policies and self-enhancement bias for residents (n = 589) and adolescents (n = 121). Study 2 was performed to replicate the findings of Study 1 with a no-implementation policy condition, and Study 3 extended the findings to adolescents. We found robust self-enhancement bias, where participants perceived themselves to be better than others in both willingness to perform and attitudes toward waste separation behavior. Specifically, participants tended to perceive themselves to perform waste separation well when policy compliance was voluntary, but they tended to perceive others to perform well when policy compliance was mandatory with supervision. These findings highlight the impact of mandatory policy with supervision and self-enhancement bias in waste management. The present studies provide substantial evidence and implications for the necessity of supervision in mandatory policy implementation.

Identifying with the beautiful: Facial attractiveness effects on unisensory and multisensory self–other distinction

People tend to evaluate their own traits and abilities favourably and such favourable self-perceptions extend to attractiveness. However, the exact mechanism underlying this self-enhancement bias remains unclear. One possibility could be the identification with attractive others through blurring of self–other boundaries. Across two experiments, we used the enfacement illusion to investigate the effect of others’ attractiveness in the multisensory perception of the self. In Experiment 1 (N = 35), participants received synchronous or asynchronous interpersonal visuo-tactile stimulation with an attractive and non-attractive face. In Experiment 2 (N = 35), two new faces were used and spatial incongruency was introduced as a control condition. The results showed that increased ratings of attractiveness of an unfamiliar face lead to blurring of self–other boundaries, allowing the identification of our psychological self with another’s physical self and specifically their face, and this seems to be unrelated to perceived own attractiveness. The effect of facial attractiveness on face ownership showed dissociable mechanisms, with multisensory integration modulating the effect on similarity but not identification, an effect that may be purely based on vision. Overall, our findings suggest that others’ attractiveness may lead to positive distortions of the self. This research provides a psychophysical starting point for studying the impact of others’ attractiveness on self-face recognition, which can be particularly important for individuals with malleable, embodied self–other boundaries and body image disturbances.

Anxiety and temporal self-appraisal: How people with anxiety evaluate themselves over time

BackgroundPrevious studies found that psychopathology is associated with distinct self-perceptions over time. Euthymic individuals report experiencing a self-enhancement bias, with self-appraisal increasing over time. In contrast, depressed individuals report viewing a personal decline from past to present and anticipated self-improvement from present to future. This study examined the association between the singular presence of anxiety and temporal self-appraisal. MethodsUsing the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale, this study examined a depressed (n = 142), anxious (n = 95), comorbid depressed and anxious (n = 335), and euthymic group (non-depressed and non-anxious, n = 535), on a validated task of temporal self-appraisal. ResultsAnxiety has a unique association with temporal self-appraisal that differs from the other disorders examined in this study. Specifically, individuals with anxiety had a similar positive trend of self-view to the euthymic group; however, their overall trend was lower at each temporal point. Individuals with depression had a stable past-to-present self-view and an improving present-to-future self-view. LimitationsThe use of an online self-report sample without longitudinal assessment of variables, while sufficient for the intent of the present study, limits the potential extrapolation from this sample, as well as prevents the determination of the direction of causality. ConclusionsWhile individuals with anxiety demonstrate a positive sense of improvement over time, their psychopathology is associated with a negative bias in their perception of their past, present, and future selves. These findings have important implications for clinicians regarding potential interventions and treatment for anxiety and depression.

Pharmacists\u2019 clinical knowledge and practice in the safe use of contraceptives: real knowledge vs. self-perception and the implications

BackgroundPharmacists are often the first healthcare professionals that patients contact with their illnesses and requests for medical information, which is enhanced following the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Community pharmacists are expected and required to possess a broad spectrum of knowledge and skills. Self-assessment of these competencies is needed for their self-improvement.Purpose of the studyTo assess pharmacists’ clinical knowledge and practice in the safe use of contraceptives, and to compare the scores obtained by external observation with pharmacists’ self-assessment of their knowledge as well as investigate the significance of preceptorship experiences. Contraceptives was chosen as the subject area in view of high rates of abortions as a means of contraception in Bosnia and Herzegovina.MethodsA questionnaire approach was used. The questionnaire included the following: the first domain contained two case scenarios (safe use of contraceptives), which evaluated clinical knowledge, a second domain in which pharmacists self-assessed their knowledge to resolve cases from the first domain and a third domain that measured the demographics of pharmacists (including experience in preceptorship). Dispensing practice was evaluated in the second domain. The questionnaires were distributed to a convenient sample of 100 pharmacists at the Annual Meeting of Bosnia and Herzegovina Pharmacists. The results were presented as counts (%). The groups (preceptors and non-preceptors) were compared using Mann-Whitney U test, paired assessments were analyzed by Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Spearman’s correlation was used to assess the correlation between variables.ResultsOf the 100 pharmacists invited to participate, 84 completed the questionnaire (84 % response rate). There was no agreement between pharmacists’ real knowledge (average score - case 1: 2.71, case 2: 3.3) and their self-assessment (average score - case 1: 3.77, case 2: 3.91). There was no statistically significant difference in the actual knowledge of pharmacists (experienced/non-experienced in precepting), while the difference in the self-assessment was significant between these two groups.ConclusionPharmacists appear to overrate themselves, which leads to self-enhancement bias, in which the experience in precepting has some influence. Pharmacists’ capability in performing an objective self-assessment of their clinical knowledge needs to be carefully studied in the future to fully benefit patients.

People perceive themselves to adhere more strictly to COVID-19 guidelines than others

ABSTRACT People have a fair idea of how they are supposed to behave to slow down the spread of COVID-19. But what about people’s perception of their own compared to others’ adherence to the guidelines? Building on prior research on self-enhancement biases, we predicted that people perceive themselves to adhere more strictly to the COVID-19 guidelines than others. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a large-scale online experiment (N = 1,102), using a sample from four countries (UK, US, Germany, Sweden). As predicted, people perceived themselves to adhere to the COVID-19 guidelines more strictly than both the average citizen of their country and their close friends. These findings were robust across countries. Furthermore, findings were not moderated by whether people first thought about themselves or about others. In conclusion, our study provides a robust demonstration of how a long-standing psychological effect perseveres, even during a once-in-a-lifetime health crisis.

Popping the Positive Illusion of Financial Responsibility Can Increase Personal Savings: Applications in Emerging and Western Markets

People around the world are not saving enough money. The authors propose that one reason people undersave is because they hold the positive illusion of being financially responsible. If this conjecture is correct, then deflating this inflated self-view may increase saving, as people should become motivated to restore perceptions of financial responsibility. After establishing that people do hold the illusion of financial responsibility, the authors developed an intervention that combats this self-enhancing bias by triggering people to recognize their frequent engagement in superfluous spending. This superfluous-spender intervention increased saving by enhancing people’s motivation to restore their diminished perceptions of financial responsibility. Consistent with theorizing, the intervention increased saving only when superfluous spending was under one’s control and among those who were motivated to perceive themselves as financially responsible. In addition to increasing saving in Western countries, the superfluous-spender intervention increased saving of earned income and a financial windfall over time among chronically poor coffee growers in rural Uganda. Collectively, this work shows that people view their financial responsibility through rose-colored glasses, which can undermine their financial well-being. It also endows stakeholders with a simple, practical, and inexpensive intervention that offsets this bias to increase personal savings.

Perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 infection and narcissistic traits

People's perceived susceptibility to illnesses plays a key role in determining whether or not to take protective measures. However, self-enhancing biases hinder accurate susceptibility perceptions, leaving some individuals to feel invulnerable in the face of acute health risks. Since such biases are prominent characteristics of individuals with narcissistic personality traits, this article empirically examined whether low perceived susceptibility of infection with COVID-19 is related to subclinical narcissism, as measured with the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI-16) and the Narcissism Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire (NARQ). We report the findings from a worldwide sample (N = 244), a UK sample before governmental pandemic restrictions (N = 261), a UK sample after restrictions (N = 261) and a pooled data analysis (N = 766). Overall, grandiose narcissism as measured with the NPI-16 predicted lower perceived susceptibility of infection, also after controlling for age and gender, whereas the NARQ Admiration subscale predicted higher perceived susceptibility. The findings are discussed in the light of theoretical and policy implications.

Self-Enhancement Error Motivates Social Projection

Social projection is the tendency to assume that others are similar to the self, whereas self-enhancement is the tendency to see them as inferior. Although these concepts appear to be in conflict, we suggest that both can stem from the same motive of self-protection. In three studies, we show that respondents overestimate the prevalence of self-enhancement bias in others and predict that most self-enhancement entails an error in judgment. Critically, we find that social projection is strongest among those who learn that they have committed a self-enhancement error. Those who receive feedback saying that their positive self-evaluations are false project this outcome onto others. We also find that self-enhancement errors degrade perceptual accuracy. We discuss how self-protection motives affect both self-evaluation and social projection, and how social judgments that appear inductively rational may stem from arational processes of need satisfaction.

The general factor of personality and creativity: Diverging effects on intrapersonal and interpersonal idea evaluation

The general factor of personality (GFP) has been found to promote social adaptiveness in a variety of contexts. However, GFP may exhibit both positive and negative effects on creative processes. In the present experiment, 178 undergraduates were asked to critique their own ideas or a fictional peer's ideas. The quality of these critiques was appraised by external judges based on five markers of idea evaluation—number, range, depth, specificity, and usefulness. In line with research on self-enhancement bias, results showed that participants who evaluated their own ideas produced lower quality critiques compared with those who evaluated peer ideas. However, this effect was moderated by GFP, such that individuals higher in GFP provided lower quality critiques when evaluating their own ideas. In contrast, participants higher in GFP tended to produce higher quality critiques of peer ideas. Thus, GFP appears to facilitate interpersonal idea evaluation while hindering intrapersonal idea evaluation.

State Capacity and Tolerance towards Tax Evasion: First Evidence from Romania

We investigate the level of tolerance towards tax non-compliance and the informal economy in Romania, using a sample of 250 respondents. This variable is determined by a complex set of latent variables that include, but is not limited to, state capacity, social and business norms, the perception of non-compliance, and the perception of distributive justice. We find that our respondents are intolerant towards tax evasion and the informal economy, but the level of intolerance is relatively mild. Using a partial least squares—path modeling approach, we also find that a weak state capacity and the perception of lack of distributive justice increases the level of tolerance. The perception of tax evasion stemming from media reports, and the respondents’ own self-enhancement bias, combine to push the level of tolerance lower.

Self-attribution bias and overconfidence among nonprofessional traders

We investigate consequences of the self-attribution bias for nonprofessional traders. By applying a textual analysis of more than 44,000 public comments on a large social trading platform, we contribute to empirical literature on investment and trading behavior in three ways: First, we show that one component of the self-attribution bias, the self-enhancement bias, leads to subsequent underperformance. Second, results support the theory that traders become overconfident due to biased self-enhancement. Third, we find that traders’ social trading portfolios attract higher investment flows from investors when showing self-enhancement biased behavior.

How Would the Buddha Rate on Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale?

In a recent study, Gebauer et al. addressed a fundamental question regarding the effects of mind-body practices (MBPs) on the self. Does the practice of MBPs in accordance with traditional contemplative traditions quiet the ego or is the practice of MBPs associated with increased self-centrality, which breeds self-enhancement bias? Both hypotheses were investigated in two separate studies with a longitudinal design. Study 1 included 93 participants, who regularly practiced yoga, and study 2 contained 162 participants, who regularly practiced loving-kindness meditation. In both studies, trait questionnaires of self-centrality and self-enhancement were taken after the practice of yoga (over the course of 15 weeks) or meditation (over the course of 4 weeks). Findings from both studies showed that participants scored higher on measures of self-enhancement and self-centrality after practicing yoga and meditation as compared with not practicing yoga and meditation. Based on these findings, Gebauer et al. argued that MBPs such as yoga and meditation do not quiet the ego, but instead lead to self-enhancement bias through increased self-centrality. We have concerns about the far-reaching conclusions made by Gebauer et al. regarding the effects of MBPs on the self. The key concerns refer to the conceptualization of the quiet ego and to the assessment of the psychological constructs investigated in this study. Gebauer et al. addressed a timely and important research question, but their far-reaching interpretations should be reconsidered due to conceptual and methodological ambiguities.

Mind-Body Practices and the Self: Yoga and Meditation Do Not Quiet the Ego but Instead Boost Self-Enhancement

Mind-body practices enjoy immense public and scientific interest. Yoga and meditation are highly popular. Purportedly, they foster well-being by curtailing self-enhancement bias. However, this “ego-quieting” effect contradicts an apparent psychological universal, the self-centrality principle. According to this principle, practicing any skill renders that skill self-central, and self-centrality breeds self-enhancement bias. We examined those opposing predictions in the first tests of mind-body practices’ self-enhancement effects. In Experiment 1, we followed 93 yoga students over 15 weeks, assessing self-centrality and self-enhancement bias after yoga practice (yoga condition, n = 246) and without practice (control condition, n = 231). In Experiment 2, we followed 162 meditators over 4 weeks (meditation condition: n = 246; control condition: n = 245). Self-enhancement bias was higher in the yoga (Experiment 1) and meditation (Experiment 2) conditions, and those effects were mediated by greater self-centrality. Additionally, greater self-enhancement bias mediated mind-body practices’ well-being benefits. Evidently, neither yoga nor meditation fully quiet the ego; to the contrary, they boost self-enhancement.