What's So Bad About Being Average?

"There is a survey by the American Automobile Association that found 73% of drivers consider themselves to be "above average." 1 In another survey of faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 68% rated themselves in the top 25% for teaching ability, and 94% rated themselves as above average. 2In yet one more study, 87% of Master of Business Administration students at Stanford rated their academic performance as above the median. 3"

"Social psychologists have coined this tendency some of us have to over estimate our abilities and knowledge "illusory superiority." It is the belief that we are better in statistically impossible ways, such as 73% of drivers considering themselves "above average." There is some evidence that this issue is more pronounced in Western countries and less so in East Asian countries, which could be explained by the difference between wanting to stand out as individuals (Western) vs. wanting to fit in to the group (Eastern). 4"

"I think there is a constant drumming in the culture around us to stand out in some way, to be special or unique. It impacts our sense of self, of what constitutes "good" and "acceptable" in ways we might not recognize. I recently wrote two articles for this blog on our need to stop trying to constantly polish ourselves into better versions of ourselves. In one, I used religious language. In the second, I used secular language."

Multiple surveys show widespread self-enhancement: 73% of drivers, 68% of faculty, and 87% of MBA students rate themselves above average. Social psychologists call this pattern illusory superiority, a systematic overestimation of abilities and knowledge. The tendency appears stronger in Western cultures that emphasize individual distinctiveness and weaker in East Asian cultures that emphasize fitting in. Cultural pressure to stand out shapes perceptions of what is good and acceptable and can elevate external measures of success over inner values. Over time, prioritizing inner values rather than external symbols of success produces better well-being and alignment.

Read at Psychology Today