Do you make a better or worse impression than you think?

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Metaperceptions, or beliefs about how others perceive us, are crucial for social functioning.
• Previous research has suggested people may have positively biased metaperceptions, but this study investigates this assumption across various contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the average level and variability of metabias (metaperceptions minus impressions) across different attributes and levels of acquaintanceship.
• To examine the consistency and explanatory factors of metabias.

Main Methods:

• The study analyzed data from over 2,400 participants across six samples, assessing metaperceptions and impressions of new and well-known acquaintances.
• Metabias was calculated as the difference between metaperceptions and actual impressions on a wide range of attributes.

Main Results:

• On average, participants exhibited a negative metabias, indicating they underestimated how positively they were viewed by others.
• While a majority showed negative metabias (48%), a significant portion were accurate (34%), and some were positively biased (18%).
• Metabias was consistent across different attributes and primarily explained by an overreliance on self-perceptions.

Conclusions:

• Contrary to some prior assumptions, people generally do not have positively biased metaperceptions; they tend to underestimate their social standing.
• Understanding metabias provides a framework for social cognition and highlights the nuanced ways individuals perceive themselves in relation to others.
• Individual differences in metabias exist, influenced by factors like self-perception accuracy and the nature of the social relationship.