Romancing the Reflection
A love story between me and me
by Elaine Gilmartin
We all like to look good, to be pleased with the image reflected back at us.
We compare ourselves to others constantly, assessing our physical attributes, maybe our sense of style, our cars, our prowess at the gym, holding up a mirror to reflect back how we see and value ourselves.
Maybe we think our asses are too big and that could be right. Or maybe not.
But it’s what you can’t see that might present the most distorted reflection.
Decades of research confirm that we are all above average — at least in our own minds. When comparing ourselves versus other people, we tend to rate ourselves more highly on a host of positive measures, including intelligence, ambition, friendliness, and modesty. This finding is sometimes called the “self-enhancement” effect.
How can we all be above average? Seems like you don’t have to be a statistician to recognize some of us have to be wrong with that perception.
And maybe some of you reading this agree most people do hold that erroneous perception. It’s just not you.
Self-enhancement effect is most profound for moral characteristics. While we generally cast ourselves in a positive light relative…
