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For me or for others? The better-than-average effect and negative feelings toward average others during the COVID-19

Min Young Kim1, Kyueun Han2

  • 1Department of Psychology, Keimyung University, Daegu, South Korea.

Current Psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.)
|January 17, 2022
PubMed

Insights

The better-than-average effect (BTAE) linked to COVID-19 prevention was associated with negative emotions toward others. However, allocentric goals, focusing on others

Area of Science:

  • Social Psychology
  • Cross-Cultural Psychology
  • Health Psychology

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic triggered negative affect and blame, potentially influenced by the better-than-average effect (BTAE).
  • BTAE describes the tendency to perceive oneself as superior to average individuals.
  • The interplay between BTAE, emotional responses, and cultural factors during health crises remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationship between BTAE and negative emotional valence toward others during the COVID-19 outbreak.
  • To investigate the moderating roles of allocentric goals and culture in this relationship.

Main Methods:

  • Survey study involving participants from the U.S. (N=210) and South Korea (N=214).
  • Measures included perceptions of COVID-19 prevention ability (BTAE), emotional valence toward others, and allocentric goals.
  • Statistical analyses were employed to test for moderation effects.

Main Results:

  • Higher BTAE regarding COVID-19 prevention correlated with more negative emotional valence toward others.
  • This relationship was moderated by allocentric goals, particularly in U.S. participants.
  • U.S. participants with high allocentric goals reported less negative emotions, a pattern not observed in Korean participants.

Conclusions:

  • Allocentric goals can mitigate the negative emotional consequences of BTAE in certain cultural contexts.
  • Cultural differences in the expression and impact of BTAE and allocentric goals were observed.
  • Findings offer insights into understanding negative emotions during public health measures like social distancing.

Keywords:
Allocentric goalsBetter than average effectCultural differencesSelf-enhancement

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