The Lake Wobegon Effect on Facebook
August 30th, 2007, 5 Comments »
I just happened to see the results of this poll on Facebook, and was amused by such a clear example of the Lake Wobegon Effect in action (click for readable size):
If you haven’t heard of this psychological phenomenon, here’s the Wikipedia entry:
The Lake Wobegon effect is the human tendency to overestimate one’s achievements and capabilities in relation to others. It is named for the fictional town of Lake Wobegon from the radio series A Prairie Home Companion, where, according to Garrison Keillor, “all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.”
This survey was particularly resonant, given my regular public confessions of my shite taste i music.