2011
DOI: 10.1177/0956797611417003
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Economic Inequality Is Linked to Biased Self-Perception

Abstract: People’s self-perception biases often lead them to see themselves as better than the average person (a phenomenon known as self-enhancement). This bias varies across cultures, and variations are typically explained using cultural variables, such as individualism versus collectivism. We propose that socioeconomic differences among societies—specifically, relative levels of economic inequality—play an important but unrecognized role in how people evaluate themselves. Evidence for self- enhancement was found in 1… Show more

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Cited by 150 publications
(163 citation statements)
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“…The estimated levels of the better-than-average effect in each country correlated strongly with economic inequality, r=.72, confirming the finding of Loughnan et al (2011). However, the correlation between BAE levels and religiosity was somewhat stronger, r=.78, see Figure 1.…”
Section: Resultssupporting
confidence: 72%
See 1 more Smart Citation
“…The estimated levels of the better-than-average effect in each country correlated strongly with economic inequality, r=.72, confirming the finding of Loughnan et al (2011). However, the correlation between BAE levels and religiosity was somewhat stronger, r=.78, see Figure 1.…”
Section: Resultssupporting
confidence: 72%
“…We discuss these findings in relation to relevant literature. Loughnan et al (2011) measured the better-than-average effect (BAE) in 15 countries across the world. They used a survey that presented a number of personal characteristics and asked participants to rate both the desirability of each characteristic and how much they possess it compared to the average person (or, in case of student samples, the average student).…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…A desire to blend in may cause them to believe their own income is closer to average than it actually is. The "self-enhancement" bias leads people at times to see themselves as better off than they actually are (Loughnan et al 2011). Individuals may also fail to distinguish clearly between reports of high inequality 28 worldwide and high inequality in their own country.…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…While outdegree signals the perceived support and status captured by conventional measures of social connectedness, indegree is more likely to reflect the social support, resources and recognition an individual actually receives. Furthermore, indegree is, by definition, less subject to individual variation in the perception and reporting of the psychosocial environment (such as potential gender effects on the self-reporting of social connections), or to cultural or socioeconomic differences in the 'self-enhancement' bias [38].…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%