via vowe

We all have – at least one time ;-) – the impression that we are delivering better outcome/results/outputs than the “average”. At work, during our education, by making sports, etc.

I haven’t know, as Volker, that this kind of positive illusion or overestimating was studied and has a name. Actually it is called the “lake Wobegon” effect. Have a look at the Wikipedia’s description.

The Lake Wobegon effect designates either: the human tendency to overestimate one’s achievements and capabilities in relation to others (in academic sources this is more usually called the above average effect or the better-than-average effect); or the finding that in many educational tests a vast majority of participants achieve results above the norm.

It is named for the fictional town of Lake Wobegon from the radio series A Prairie Home Companion, where, according to the presenter, Garrison Keillor, “all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.” […]

The above average effect or better-than-average effect is one kind of positive illusion. It describes the tendency for people to evaluate themselves as ‘better than average’ on desirable skills, characteristics or behaviors. It is a characteristic bias of social comparison where people usually compare themselves to an unspecified peer and, despite the mathematical odds, en masse judge themselves to be better than their average peer.

I am learning every day! Or is that also a “lake Wobegon effect”?

;-)