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Evolution

Selection for positive illusions

Nature volume 477, pages 282–283 (2011)Cite this article

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Everybody knows that overconfidence can be foolhardy. But a study reveals that having an overly positive self-image might confer an evolutionary advantage if the rewards outweigh the risks. See Letter p.317

Ask anyone with a driver's licence to rate their own abilities behind the wheel, and most people will report that they are above average1. The same is true for self-assessments of performance in cognitive tasks2, of attractiveness3 (by men, not by women) and of the healthiness of our behaviour4: people typically place themselves higher on the ladder than they really are. In a survey of 1 million high-school students5, a solid 70% rated themselves as above-average leaders (versus 2% who thought of themselves as below average), and a spectacular 94% of college professors possess teaching abilities that are above average — according to themselves6.

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Figure 1: Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Matthijs van Veelen is at the Center for Research in Experimental Economics and Political Decision Making, University of Amsterdam, Roetersstraat 11, 1018 WB Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,

    Matthijs van Veelen

  2. Department of Mathematics and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Martin A. Nowak is at the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.,

    Martin A. Nowak

Authors
  1. Matthijs van Veelen
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  2. Martin A. Nowak
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Correspondence to Matthijs van Veelen or Martin A. Nowak.

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van Veelen, M., Nowak, M. Selection for positive illusions. Nature 477, 282–283 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/477282a

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