| Abstract: | People generally evaluate their own attributes and abilities more favorably than those of an average peer. The current study explored whether age moderates this better‐than‐average effect. We asked young (n = 87), middle‐aged (n = 75), and older adults (n = 77) to evaluate themselves and an average peer on a variety of trait and ability dimensions. On most dimensions, a better‐than‐average effect was observed for young, middle‐aged, and older adults. However, on dimensions for which older individuals have clear deficiencies (i.e., athleticism, physical attractiveness), a better‐than‐average effect was observed for young and middle‐aged adults, while a worse‐than‐average effect was observed for older adults. We argue that egocentrism accounts for these age differences in comparative self‐evaluations. |
