Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsExamplesPurposeIs It a Bad Thing?Modesty BiasOvercoming the Bias
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Examples
Purpose
Is It a Bad Thing?
Modesty Bias
Overcoming the Bias
Self-serving bias is also called self-serving attributional bias. When making causal attributions, people with self-serving bias tend to view the causation of events through a distorted lens that protects their ego and enhances self-esteem.
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For example, someone with self-serving bias would be quick to pat themselves on the back and attribute internal factors like intelligence to getting a good grade. However, the same person might be inclined to blame the teacher or uncontrollable external factors if they got a bad grade.
Biases in attribution are common. In science, the goal is to make unbiased causal attributions based on objective, evidence-based standards. But in daily life, humans tend to be inherently subjective and biased when attributing causation. Self-serving bias often occurs automatically, on an unconscious level, as a way or a person to safeguard their self-esteem and feel better about themself.
This article gives 21 examples of self-serving bias in different contexts, explains its positive effects, sheds light on its potential downsides, and offers some advice on how to keep excessive amounts of your self-serving bias in check.
21 Examples of Self-Serving Bias
The 21 first-person narratives below are real-life examples of how self-serving bias can be used to attribute success to oneself and internal factors while blaming failure on others or external factors.
In many of these fictional quotations, there may be a grain of truth to the person’s attributional style. Self-serving bias isn’t necessarily a “good” or “bad” thing; its pros and cons depend on how it’s used.
Daily habits/lifestyle:
Workplace:
Academics/school:
Family life:
Social life:
Social media:
Sports/exercise:
Something to consider in the above examples is how the person in each situation could reduce self-serving bias. This would include not blaming external factors for their failures while also holding themselves accountable and being more proactive about changing negative things in their locus of control.
Fundamental Attribution Error vs. Self-Serving Bias
Fundamental attribution error is a tendency to attribute people’s behavior solely to their core personality traits while ignoring the potential impact of external situational factors on someone’s behavior. An example of this error: assuming that people withneuroticismareneverrelaxed in social situations.
What Purpose Does Self-Serving Bias Serve?
Self-serving bias helps people feel better about themselves; it’s a self-enhancing attributional bias that boosts self-esteem. Many psychological researchers consider some degree of self-serving bias an effective coping strategy essential to human beings' mental health and subjective well-being.
For example, people withclinical depressionoften invert self-serving bias. Instead of attributing negative outcomes to others or external factors, they blame themselves when things go wrong. And, if something good does happen, they attribute it to luck or anything but themselves.
Positive Effects
In small to moderate doses, self-serving bias can have positive effects, such as boosting self-esteem and giving someone the self-belief to keep going in the face of adversity or after a setback.
In the short term, this attributional style has benefits and positive effects, but over time, excessive self-serving bias sabotages your chances of improving and flourishing in the long run. For example, if you never take self-responsibility for shortcomings or failures, it’s impossible to learn from your mistakes and figure out how to do better next time.
Is Self-Serving Bias the Same as Confirmation Bias?Self-serving bias and confirmation bias are different. Confirmation bias is a tendency to cherry-pick facts that confirm a personal belief. Self-serving bias is a tendency to take credit for personal success but blame others for failure.
Is Self-Serving Bias the Same as Confirmation Bias?
Self-serving bias and confirmation bias are different. Confirmation bias is a tendency to cherry-pick facts that confirm a personal belief. Self-serving bias is a tendency to take credit for personal success but blame others for failure.
Is Self-Serving Bias a Bad Thing?
Self-serving bias is not always a bad thing. There’s a sweet spot between having too much or too little self-serving bias that promotes healthy feelings of self-worth and lowers depression risk.
In excess, self-serving bias deflects responsibility for negative outcomes in a way that promotes unrealistic overconfidence and can keep someone in “la-la land.” If you never hold yourself accountable for messing up or failing to succeed, it’s impossible to learn and grow as a human being.
However, too little self-serving bias isn’t necessarily a good thing. If you’re always “beating yourself up” or blaming yourself when things go wrong or you aren’t successful, it can deteriorate feelings of self-worth and increase your risk of becoming hopeless, depressed, and less perseverant.
Modesty Bias: The Opposite of Self-Serving Bias
Modesty bias is the opposite of self-serving bias. Whereas people with self-serving bias are quick to attribute success to internal factors such as their intelligence or skillfulness, those with modesty bias have trouble attributing personal success or positive outcomes to internal factors.
For example, someone with modesty bias might have a self-deprecating aw-shucks response to being congratulated for achieving a goal. In contrast, someone with self-serving bias would be likelier to bask in the glory of being praised and pat themselves on the back for doing a good job.
How Can You Work on Self-Serving Bias?
When you succeed, try expressing gratitude and thankfulness to people other than yourself who’ve played a role in your triumphs and favorable outcomes.
Summary
Self-serving bias is a tendency to take credit for success but blame failure on others. In moderation, self-serving bias has positive effects because it boosts self-esteem and feelings of self-worth. However, too much self-serving bias can backfire.
If you always blame others for your shortcomings or failures, learning from your mistakes and improving is practically impossible. Self-awareness, self-compassion, and expressions of gratitude are three ways to minimize excessive self-serving bias.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Wang X, Zheng L, Li L, et al.Immune to situation: the self-serving bias in unambiguous contexts.Front Psychol. 2017;8:822. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00822
Sanjuán P, Magallares A.Coping strategies as mediating variables between self-serving attributional bias and subjective well-being.J Happiness Stud. 2014;15(2):443-453. doi:10.1007/s10902-013-9430-2
Hyun M, Jee WF, Wegner C, Jordan JS, Du J, Oh T.Self-serving bias in performance goal achievement appraisals: evidence from long-distance runners.Front Psychol. 2022;13:762436. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.762436
Dictionary of Sport Psychology. Elsevier.Self-Serving Bias.Palmeira M, Spassova G, Keh HT.Other-serving bias in advice-taking: When advisors receive more credit than blame.Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 2015;130:13-25. doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2015.06.001Pornpattananangkul N, Zhen S, Yu R.Common and distinct neural correlates of self‐serving and prosocial dishonesty.Hum Brain Mapp. 2018;39(7):3086-3103. doi:10.1002/hbm.24062Wiggin KL, Yalch RF.Whose fault is it? Effects of relational self‐views and outcome counterfactuals on self‐serving attribution biases following brand policy changes.Journal of Consumer Psychology. 2015;25(3):459-472. doi:10.1016/j.jcps.2015.02.004
Dictionary of Sport Psychology. Elsevier.Self-Serving Bias.
Palmeira M, Spassova G, Keh HT.Other-serving bias in advice-taking: When advisors receive more credit than blame.Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 2015;130:13-25. doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2015.06.001
Pornpattananangkul N, Zhen S, Yu R.Common and distinct neural correlates of self‐serving and prosocial dishonesty.Hum Brain Mapp. 2018;39(7):3086-3103. doi:10.1002/hbm.24062
Wiggin KL, Yalch RF.Whose fault is it? Effects of relational self‐views and outcome counterfactuals on self‐serving attribution biases following brand policy changes.Journal of Consumer Psychology. 2015;25(3):459-472. doi:10.1016/j.jcps.2015.02.004
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