Lake Wobegon Effect
Most people believe they are above average on most positive traits.
The Lake Wobegon effect (named after Garrison Keillor's fictional town 'where all the children are above average') is the human tendency to overestimate one's achievements and capabilities in relation to others. It is a specific instance of illusory superiority. This effect appears in virtually every domain tested including intelligence, ethical behavior, driving, and social skills.
What it looks like in the wild.
- Everyday life Above-Average Intelligence When asked to rate their own intelligence relative to others, roughly 70% of people place themselves in the top half — a mathematical impossibility that reveals the ubiquity of this effect.
Recognising a definition is not the same skill as spotting it.
Two scenarios from the app, with distractors drawn from the same family of biases — which is what makes them hard.
A teacher believes all of her students are above average in intelligence, reflecting the widespread tendency to overestimate the abilities of those around us.
After a job interview, James feels he performed exceptionally well and was likely the strongest candidate, assuming the interviewer would clearly see his superior qualifications.
Biases rarely arrive alone.
Understand more. Assume less.
188 biases, 18,869 scenarios, and a record of how you actually decide.
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