Actor-observer bias
The tendency to explain our own actions by the situation but other people's actions by their character. It is closely related to the fundamental attribution error.
A large 2006 review of 173 studies found that, overall, this asymmetry is close to zero: it appeared for negative events but reversed for positive ones.
In everyday life
When you snap at a cashier, it's because you had a terrible day, but when a cashier snaps at you, they're just rude.
You arrive late to a meeting and explain that traffic was awful, but when a coworker arrives late the next day, you decide he's just disorganized.
Why your mind does this
To act at all, we need some belief that our choices matter and that we can pull them off. A bit of extra confidence gets us moving, keeps us going after setbacks, and protects our sense of self-worth and our standing in a group.
Its family, in 30 seconds: Confidence to act
How to spot it
Notice when you excuse yourself with circumstances but judge someone else with a label.
How to counter it
When you judge someone, ask what explanation you would give if you had done the exact same thing.
Same family: Confidence to act
- Overconfidence effect
- Social desirability bias
- Third-person effect
- False consensus effect
- Hard-easy effect
- Lake Wobegon effect
- Dunning-Kruger effect
- Egocentric bias
- Optimism bias
- Forer effect
- Barnum effect
- Self-serving bias
- Actor-observer bias
- Illusion of control
- Illusory superiority
- Fundamental attribution error
- Defensive attribution hypothesis
- Trait ascription bias
- Effort justification
- Risk compensation
- Peltzman effect
SourcesMalle (2006)·Wikipedia