executive confidence

[jay santos]

I saw a study once that said they took a group of Americans students and a group of Japanese students and asked them if they were good at math. Something like 80% of Americans and 10% of Japanese said they were good at math, while the Japanese students destroyed the American kids in their test scores.

[BarbaraGordon]

Originally Posted by jay santos

I saw a study once that said they took a group of Americans students and a group of Japanese students and asked them if they were good at math. Something like 80% of Americans and 10% of Japanese said they were good at math, while the Japanese students destroyed the American kids in their test scores.

What is it about our society that breeds such self-satisfaction and overestimation of self worth?

[BlueHair]

Originally Posted by BarbaraGordon

What is it about our society that breeds such self-satisfaction and overestimation of self worth?

Not sure. One thing is for sure. I am awesome and society couldn't function without me.

[pelagius]

Originally Posted by BarbaraGordon

What is it about our society that breeds such self-satisfaction and overestimation of self worth?

I don't think individuals in western countries show a stronger overconfidence bias in experimental settings than individuals in Asian countries (although these experiments usually only have a small amount of money on the line). In fact I believe studies tend to show the reverse. Japan my be an exception to this, I don't know the cognitive psychology literature very well (I'm going off memory here and not doubt am overconfident myself in terms of my ability to summarize the literature).

Cognitive psychology is clearly not my area but we use "overconfidence bias" a lot in Behavioral Economics. I think the short summary of the overconfidence literature is that most people are overconfident and men are typically more overconfident than woman.

[Goatnapper'96]

Originally Posted by BarbaraGordon

What is it about our society that breeds such self-satisfaction and overestimation of self worth?

Pornography and the BCS. Most other countries have one or the other but only America has the two poles of all evil!

[SoCalCoug]

Originally Posted by BarbaraGordon

What is it about our society that breeds such self-satisfaction and overestimation of self worth?

It's because we give trophies to losing little league teams.

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by BarbaraGordon

What is it about our society that breeds such self-satisfaction and overestimation of self worth?

As Bill Murray so succinctly put it:

"We're Americans! The wretched refuse! Were 10-1! We've been kicking ass for over 200 years!"

[Goatnapper'96]

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

As Bill Murray so succinctly put it:

"We're Americans! The wretched refuse! Were 10-1! We've been kicking ass for over 200 years!"

I always felt that both sides won in the Civil War, this contrasts with Mexico and its 138 Civil Wars resulting in its record of 1-279, with its one being a victory over the french!

How a bit a little air, Pee-Air!

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by Goatnapper'96

I always felt that both sides won in the Civil War, this contrasts with Mexico and its 138 Civil Wars resulting in its record of 1-279, with its one being a victory over the french!

How a bit a little air, Pee-Air!

French Military Victories in a nutshell

[Venkman]

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

French Military Victories in a nutshell

That is awesome! My favorite entry:

WWI: Tied and on the way to losing, France is saved by the United States. Thousands of French women find out what it's like not only to sleep with a winner, but one who doesn't call her "Fraulein." Sadly, widespread use of condoms by American forces forestalls any improvement in the French bloodline.