Comments on: Self-Evaluation

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 07 Jan 2004 16:46:19 +0000

How many of you curve your exams on a C? If we know that we live in Lake Wobegon, are we really deluding ourselves? Maybe its just the way we answer questionaires.

By: Matt Weiner

Matt Weiner — Wed, 07 Jan 2004 14:36:53 +0000

JRoth—I think it’s well documented that people tend to attribute setbacks to outside factors and accomplishment to themselves. But I’m a philosopher (and not one of those who spends all his time reading up on psych experiments), so don’t quote me. jonathan—That’s cold, like Green Bay in winter. Brian—I’d say that football GMs intelligently treat the draft as a hedge, so that they wouldn’t engage in such a trade even if they expected it would benefit them, but somehow I doubt it. So I’m glad that these trades aren’t customary, or my Steelers would’ve got screwed (unless they traded with the Raiders).

By: JRoth

JRoth — Wed, 07 Jan 2004 05:24:41 +0000

I’ve read the thing about driving before, and I understand that people overestimate their own competence. But I wonder about the finding that most people think they’re more fortunate (faster healing, better prospects, etc.). My experience has been that people have a frustrating tendency to bemoan their luck – “Just my luck” is not a victory cry. Maybe everyone’s the star of their own movies, in which they play the superhero, with forces arrayed against them. So the weather is always bad (“rain again!” after a week of sun) and the traffic light is always red (“happens every time!”), but “their” accomplishments are superb (“I know how to pick the fastest lane”). Hmm. I still have trouble hearing how people narrate their own lives and seeing supreme (over)confidence. Must be a failing of mine.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 07 Jan 2004 04:38:25 +0000

Kind of ignores the hedging effect of draft picks, though.

By: Jonathan Ichikawa

Jonathan Ichikawa — Wed, 07 Jan 2004 01:46:43 +0000

This reminds me a little bit of the hypothetical quarterback who wins the overtime coin toss and announces both that his team will receive the ball, and that it will win, then throws a touchdown pass to the wrong team.

By: dsquared

dsquared — Tue, 06 Jan 2004 15:45:15 +0000

Interestingly, psychological experiments seem to discover that the only people with a remotely realistic assessment of their owbn capabilities are the clinically depressed.