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Comment by gkoberger | Hacker News Reader

My take on this is slightly different. I think people have different opinions on what above average means.

Take the driving example. I may say I'm an above average driver, since I have good reflexes and can drive at high speeds. However, someone else might say they're a good driver because they follow the speed limit.

I think the reason everyone thinks they're above average is because they are- they're just above average in different ways.

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That's an interesting thought. To say that 96% of people rate themselves a better driver because they customize their criteria to reflect what they value is quite insightful.

Humans think they are on the apex of the shrub of live, because they have big brains.

I guess fish would define sophistication as a nice swim bladder.

You might be right about that. For curiosity's sake, what do you base your reflex speed on?

Playing Doom.

Or playing chicken? :)

Your driving example is actually characteristic of how men and women differ on the issue. And the opposite is true of accidents: men, who fancy themselves better drivers, get in far more serious accidents due to aggressive and reckless behavior, and women, who fancy themselves safer/better, (supposedly) get in far more fender benders with slow moving or parked cars (possibly do to spatial perception).

You get a gold star for that comment!

I think you were being sarcastic, alluding to teachers doling out gold stars for effort. Sarcasm doesn't really play well on mediums without body language or intonation. If this was your intention, then I agree with you.

Talent and intelligence tends to cluster in individuals. People who are above average in certain skills tend to be above average in related skills; the converse is also true. Yes, certain classes of skill tend to have an inverse relationship with others, but I don't think it's a problem of the "definition of above average." Instead, I think people simply have evolutionary reasons for inflating their worth.

It's ok, I'm interpreting all of these downvotes as sarcasm.

Sarcastic quips don't play well on forums which value high signal-to-noise ratio, even when people can recognize the tone, unless they are exceptionally amusing or relevant.

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