12 checked facts

Ego

Everything on this site about ego — each one naming the study behind it.

Reflecting on your values can undo your defensiveness.
A 1988 study found that when people wrote about a personal value, they were more likely to accept information that pre…
You claim personal credit for wins but blame luck.
A 1978 study showed that participants took credit for success but attributed failure to external variables like test d…
You sabotage your performance to protect your ego.
Self-handicapping is the tendency to create obstacles to your own success so you have a ready-made excuse for failure.…
You blame circumstances for failure but yourself for success.
The self-serving bias is observed as a pattern of attribution, but its status as a defense mechanism for self-esteem i…
You think you knew the outcome all along.
Your memory of your past confidence changes once you learn the truth.…
You sabotage your own work to protect your ego.
A 1978 study showed that students would rather choose a drug that hinders their performance than risk failing without …
You claim your successes but blame the environment for failures.
The self-serving bias describes the pattern of attributing success to internal causes and failure to external causes, …
You create your own barriers to protect your pride.
Self-handicapping is the psychological strategy of placing obstacles in your own path to provide an excuse for future …
You sabotage yourself to protect your ego.
A 1978 study found that participants chose to consume performance-inhibiting drugs when they were anxious about an upc…
You are convinced you are a better driver than most.
A 1981 study of student participants found that 93% of the U.S. sample rated their driving skills as being in the top …
You think your virtues are unique, but your vices are normal.
The 1987 study by Suls and Wan demonstrated that people tend to underestimate the commonality of their positive or hea…
You create obstacles to explain your potential failure.
A 1978 experiment showed that people who are uncertain about their performance will intentionally choose to hinder the…