Self-Serving Bias: Why We Think We're Better Than Average

About nine out of ten people say they’re safer drivers than average. Statistically, that’s impossible—so who’s wrong, everyone else or the math? Today we drop into everyday moments where we quietly upgrade ourselves, and ask: why are we all convinced we’re the exception?

Think about the last time something went really well for you—a project at work, a tough exam, even parallel parking in a tight spot. How quickly did your mind whisper, “That’s because I’m good at this”? Now contrast that with a recent failure. The story probably sounded more like, “Terrible timing,” “The instructions were unclear,” or “No one could’ve done better with what I had.”

This quiet pattern—internal credit, external blame—doesn’t just shape how you remember yesterday. It slowly rewrites who you believe you are. It seeps into performance reviews, group projects, even conflicts with friends: we see our own effort, struggles, and good intentions in high definition, while everyone else’s look strangely low-res.