You Are Less Beautiful Than You Think
This doesn’t surprise me at all:
The evidence from psychological research suggests instead that we tend to think of our appearance in ways that are more flattering than are warranted. […]
In a series of studies, Epley and Whitchurch showed that we see ourselves as better looking than we actually are. The researchers took pictures of study participants and, using a computerized procedure, produced more attractive and less attractive versions of those pictures. Participants were told that they would be presented with a series of images including their original picture and images modified from that picture. They were then asked to identify the unmodified picture. They tended to select an attractively enhanced one. […]
Most people believe that they are above average, a statistical impossibility. The above average effects, as they are called, are common. For example, 93 percent of drivers rate themselves as better than the median driver. Of college professors, 94 percent say that they do above-average work. […]
But why do we do that?
The adaptive nature of self-enhancement might be the answer. Conveying the information that one has desirable characteristics is beneficial in a social environment. […] Since in self-enhancement people truly believe that they have desirable characteristics, they can promote themselves without having to lie. Self-enhancement also boosts confidence. Researchers have shown that confidence plays a role in determining whom people choose as leaders and romantic partners. Confident people are believed more and their advice is more likely to be followed.
PS: I’m totally better than the average driver.
To wit, too many of the apps I see these days are things I have been using plain text files for for years. That is what your app is competing against in my mind. What makes your todo/list/notes/writing/etc. app better then what I can already do using plain text?
uploaded my cat gifs folder to the new google+ photos and it’s just pure madness
