I Could Be Worse

It can be painful to think about attributes you're not proud of: Who wants to dwell on low self-confidence or a bad temper? New research suggests that even people who openly scrutinize their flaws take subtle measures to cushion themselves against blows to their egos.

In a study reported in the journal Self and Identity, college students who reflected on their worst characteristics guessed that the faults were more pronounced in themselves than in others—but they predicted that they would improve more than others in the next five years.

Similarly, respondents who detailed the worst things they had ever done to another person (which included cheating on a partner and bullying) judged themselves less likely to repeat the deeds than did outside observers who read about the acts. They also deemed their misbehaviors less reflective of who they were than observers did, and less serious than the worst thing that had been done to them.

"There are times when you can't help but acknowledge your faults, so your recourse is a strange kind of self-enhancement," says Ohio University psychologist Mark Alicke, who co-authored the report with psychologist Gregory Preuss.

Self-serving judgments aren't inherently harmful, but if we allow them to obscure real problems with our behavior, we may feel less impetus to change. "People believe they are fair appraisers of their character because they are able to criticize themselves," explains psychologist André Mata. "And yet they walk away feeling good—or not so bad."