Unrealistically positive self-assessment

Unrealistically positive views of the self. Not only do people tend to attribute far more positive than negative traits to themselves; they easily process positive information and have difficulty recalling negative information. Even when negative aspects of the self are acknowledged, they tend to be dismissed as inconsequential. One's own poor abilities tend to be perceived as common, but one's favoured abilities are seen as rare and distinctive. Furthermore, the things that one is not proficient at are perceived as less important than the things that they are.

Individuals judge positive attributes as more descriptive of themselves than others. The reverse is true of negative attributes. Individuals even believe that their driving ability is superior to others. They also give others less credit for success and more blame for failure than they ascribe to themselves. In experimental situations involving chance, people tend to think they have control or are applying skill. Most people think optimistically about the future, believing that the present is better than the past and that the future will be even better. Most people report being happy most of the time.