Self-Serving Bias

What is self-serving bias?

Self-serving attribution bias is the tendency to explain positive outcomes more favorably for yourself than negative ones. A good test result shows how smart you are. A bad one shows how unfair the test was.

Mezulis and colleagues reviewed 266 studies and found a widespread pattern, with substantial variation across ages, cultures, and clinical samples.

How to interpret it

The pattern does not necessarily mean deliberate dishonesty. And the test might really have been unfair. One explanation is not enough to establish bias.

Compare explanations with the evidence and apply the same standard to successes and failures.

Sources and further reading

• Mezulis and colleagues (2004)