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Most people think they're above average

Red Herring

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Randomnity

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well, yeah. I hope they didn't waste too much money trying to figure that out.

I think I'm above average but that's because I'm awesome. :D :D
 

Chaotic Harmony

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I've never had the greatest self esteem or self confidence. I don't consider myself above average. However, I would find it incredibly hard to believe that any one person can be above average in everything. My husband is above average in Math, terrible at English.... I am above average in English, horrible at Math. :smile:

I've always thought of myself as a girl-next-door, plain Jane type.... And yet, I've had plenty of guys tell me I'm far above that... One even went as far as to call me a Goddess.....And I still look in the mirror and just see an average person.

When it comes to my job I know there are things that I really excel at... And things I put off because I don't want to deal with it because it frustrates me... So overall, I'm above-average at some things... But I'm still pretty much a Jack of all trades, master of none.... And I've learned to accept it and appreciate it.
 

Qlip

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We all tend to also excel at what's important to ourselves, or consider important what we just happen to be good at. If a large amount of your self worth is being a gardener, there's a good chance that you've put in enough effort to above average at that, which makes you feel above average.
 
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I used to think that I was stupid and slow in primary through secondary school because my teachers were constantly telling me that. They were also constantly on my back for not paying attention and not doing homework that I felt had no point e.g. copying essays straight out of a book and practicing math.

Then I took an IQ test and I realised that it simply wasn't true. I am just easily bored. Now I'm doing a PhD and am tired of everyone around me constantly telling me that I'm smart/clever because I don't feel it, in the least.

Sometimes I think about how my teachers would respond if I went back to school to visit them (especially those who called me stupid/slow and hit me) and waved my PhD in their non-degree-holding faces. But I don't care enough about that to actually do it.
 

Eckhart

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Oh, I thought it was already common knowledge that most people think they are supermen (or superwomen).
 

guesswho

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The people below average are not 50%, because most people are average (or close to average)...so there will be 3 categories, below average, average, and above average.
Now...assuming that 30% of the inhabitants of Earth are pretty dumb, what are the actual odds of them thinking that they are dumb?! Remember Forrest Gump? (He's a fictive character but a good example anyway) He could play ping pong. He was actually pretty good at it. Now is it not possible that being good at something would make a so called dumb person to think they're above average? Actually seeing that you beat 95% of the people you play ping pong with would make you feel above average right? Even though you suck at abstract thinking or whatever.
Most people have something they're good at, they' have a hobby/activity where they're above average, so they may generalize that they're above average overall. Generalization is not that uncommon isn't it?

Although people may also think they're above average because they feel like it...most dumb people I met do not think they're dumb, they actually interpret their dumbness as being a sign of intelligence. How do you do that? By thinking/saying things that don't make sense.
 

BlueGray

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Realize that 100% of people could overestimate their abilities. If you think you are the best person in the world at something but are really 98 percentile you over estimated but you are hardly below average. The fastest runner in the world could think they can do better and overestimate themselves. Simply because someone is above average does not mean they can't overestimate their abilities.
 

Stanton Moore

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Above average? At what? I know I'm above average in many ways, but there are also many ways that I'm average or below. Unless you define the activity, the statistic is misleading...
 

Bamboo

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This is true only when the data follows a pattern called a normal distribution curve; the average is approximately equal to the median and the mode. Probably a moot point, as much data does follow such a curve, but it would be unwise to assume it. Otherwise it's the median that is 50% below or above.

Regardless, our ego lies to us to keep us healthy. The types least likely to fall for this fallacy, would be the types most likely to have a low self-esteem.

Let's also consider how it's implied that the underlying phenomena follows a symmetrical distribution. While it may be true for IQ, given that tests are created in a way which constract a bell curve, it's not universally true.

In many occasions it might very well be true that 66% of a given population is "above arithmetic average": if a distribution has really fat left-tails, then the arithmetic average will be much lower than the median.

Good points here.

I inadvertently assumed a normal distribution. Just one extreme outlier can skew averages.
 

Such Irony

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I've always seen myself as humble sort of person who doesn't let confidence go to my head. I don't take my abilities for granted. If anything, there are some areas where I feel I underestimate myself so as to avoid future disappointment when things don't turn out well. However, even I'm not totally immune to overestimating some of my abilities. I may not do it in everything or in most areas but I know that I have done it with some. Driving ability is one prime example. I've read about multiple studies saying that the vast majority of people consider themselves above average drivers, and I was no exception. If you would have asked me to assess my driving ability five years ago, I probably would have said above average. Since then, I've gotten into a couple of minor fender-bender accidents and a few close calls. I would consider myself average at best, even likely below average. My attention naturally drifts too much to be an exceptionally good driver.

There have been times where I've applied for jobs where I'm sure I've overestimated by abilities. I'd read the job description thinking, "I could do that!" only to read further and realize that at least a couple of years of experience was required. And it's probably I good thing I didn't get hired for those jobs. I would likely have been in over my head.
 

CzeCze

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Maybe 66% people polled really were above average? Maybe the people polled were culled from an "above average" sample.

Ooh, this sounds like a GMAT question.
 

Haphazard

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Yeah, I was about to say what some people said, that it's perfectly possible for most people to be above average intelligence if those below average are really, really dumb and skew distribution. Another thing though is that it may be true according to IQ tests. As people have been getting better at taking tests, the "average" IQ raised 10 points in the past 50 years or something, and in schools, most of the times results of tests are judged against the results of the same tests previous years, so it would be very easy for this to be "true" or for at least people to get this idea.

If you wanted to be more accurate, you could ask, "Are you more intelligent than the arithmetic mean of people?" and the 10% who answered "yes" would be, but the other 90% would go, "whuh?"
 

miss fortune

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*ponders the standard deviations of the distribution of "averageness" in the population*

:thinking:

I'll only guess myself above average if I can prove it with facts... otherwise I have shit self esteem and tend to think that I'm more than likely below average :doh:

and everyone is above average at SOMETHING... just not all at the same thing :yes:
 

rav3n

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Intelligence, attractiveness and sense of humour are all subjective terms. How is it possible for anyone to definitively say others are overestimating themselves when there are no universal standards? Should everyone believe they're below average because this is what you believe and apply to yourself?
 

Such Irony

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I'll only guess myself above average if I can prove it with facts...

I wonder if this is the general tendency for ST types. Perhaps they are most likely to have the most realistic assessment of their abilities for this reason.
 

Bamboo

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Driving ability is one prime example. I've read about multiple studies saying that the vast majority of people consider themselves above average drivers, and I was no exception. If you would have asked me to assess my driving ability five years ago, I probably would have said above average. Since then, I've gotten into a couple of minor fender-bender accidents and a few close calls. I would consider myself average at best, even likely below average. My attention naturally drifts too much to be an exceptionally good driver. .

I made a post about this but can't find it with the search function. EDIT: found in archives with google search.

On a scale of 1 - 10, 1 being knowing how to start the car and move it around and ten being the highest, most people would rate themselves a 6 or 7. I'd rate myself as a 2.

The more you learn about a subject, the more you find out how little you know. And thus, the more realistic your appraisal. The more I learn about how to drive a car, the more I realize I basically drive my vehicle in straight lines with awkward, slow speed arcs connecting them - in other words, I'm barely doing anything difficult driving around a city or on a highway. I think it would be fair to say that I have 20% (or less) of the skill of a rally or formula 1 driver. More like a 1/10. Hell, even .25/10.

However, a vast majority of people out there are 1's and below, so I have good company.

This is less about averages and more about overall skill, but point remains.

But notice that I say I'm a 2 and most people are 1's. I do think I'm an above average driver...
 

Haphazard

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I'm below average at everything. I'm above average at being below average.
 
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