Psychologists have come to the conclusion that the pursuit of higher social status is the main reason we try to look smarter than you are.

Presenting itself as the most intelligent and beautiful, we try to climb to the top of the social ladder. (Photo By Sven Hagolani.)

People tend to overestimate themselves: we often think that we jumped at the Olympics would do, and the theory of relativity would come up with before, and the country was ruled to be "not like this". Even when not so anecdotal examples, and look at the survey data, it will appear that we live in a society catastrophically, fatally underestimated genius, genius in everything, in all matters, including education, sanitary ware. For example, 94% of American professors believe that they are much more than their counterparts.

The reason (or at least one of the reasons for this psychologists from the University of California at Berkeley (USA) is called the pursuit of social status.

As the researchers measured the human revaluation? They surveyed students in the MBA program about what historical characters and events, literary monuments, etc. known to them. In the lists that psychologists have suggested subjects, along with historically or literary reliable characters like Maximilian Robespierre or doctor Faustus were invented. Among respondents there were those who seemed tried to learn as much as possible "blendes". At the end of the semester psychologists examined in a group situation with social stratification, and found that those who wanted to learn as much as possible fakes, were at the highest levels of the social ladder. That is, choosing not real historical figures and not real historical events, such individuals have sought to be more educated, more aware than others. If the same tactics they used in communicating with fellow students, it is not surprising that they finally have achieved universal respect. It should be emphasized that such persons do not consider themselves overrated: they really believed that gorgeous and all of them love.

Another series of experiments was devoted to the study of behavior, with which people can make others think of themselves better than he really is. This includes body language, and especially speech, and involvement in social interaction, and more. Psychologists made videos group of people communicating, then these videos are analyzed. Signs own revaluation, which psychologists describe familiar to everyone: they say most often, the voice of them confident, they tend to answer any question that you hear, and always ready to pour out on other information flows. When they need to do something paired with someone, they work quietly and almost relaxed. The conclusion is obvious: reevaluates try yourself as much as possible to convince others of their abilities. But really knowledgeable and competent personalities such efforts it is making less. Although it should be stressed that people with high self-esteem directly cannot convince anyone, preferring to act, so to speak, by indirect methods.

The study also included a few simple psychological tests. For example, the participants listened to two stories: one was told about how someone has lost, and then found the keys; the second was devoted to the man, got a job in a prestigious company. Experimental had to imagine yourself in the place of the main character. Then those who read about the keys, and those, who told about the company, have been checked for self-criticism: they were supposed to assess their intellectual abilities, ability to work in a team, and so on, it Turned out that those who heard the story about the prospective appointment tended to overestimate their own strength and capabilities. That is an imaginary place in the prestigious company, with bonuses, career growth and, undoubtedly, high status urged people to inflated self-esteem.

Experimental psychologists are summarized in an article in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

To understand why the high status encourages people to seem smarter than they are, it is not difficult: the temptation of high position is that people are willing to risk, despite the threat to make fun of himself. In the received data there is nothing mind blowing, they only translate everyday observations in the plane of scientific psychology. The article with the results can primarily be advisable to read all more or less significant leaders to make, so to speak, could see through such a "pereotsenka" among subordinates. If, of course, the chiefs do not belong to the same sort of people. Although in this case it remains to hope that after reviewing the results of research be awakened at least some self-criticism.

Based on the materials of the University of California at Berkeley.