A status-enhancement account of overconfidence.
In explaining the prevalence of the overconfident belief that one is better than others, prior work has focused on the motive to maintain high self-esteem, abetted by biases in attention, memory, and cognition. An additional possibility is that overconfidence enhances the person's social status. We tested this status-enhancing account of overconfidence in 6 studies. Studies 1-3 found that overconfidence leads to higher social status in both short- and longer-term groups, using naturalistic and experimental designs. Study 4 applied a Brunswikian lens analysis (Brunswik, 1956) and found that overconfidence leads to a behavioral signature that makes the individual appear competent to others. Studies 5 and 6 measured and experimentally manipulated the desire for status and found that the status motive promotes overconfidence. Together, these studies suggest that people might so often believe they are better than others because it helps them achieve higher social status.
Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, 545 Student Services Building #1900, Berkeley, CA 94720-1900, USA. anderson@haas.berkeley.edu
Cameron
C
Anderson
Sebastien
S
Brion
Don A
DA
Moore
Jessica A
JA
Kennedy
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012649:Self Concept; D012923:Social Class; D012938:Social Perception; D055815:Young Adult