Third-person effect
The belief that media messages, ads and propaganda influence other people more than they influence us.
In everyday life
A man says political ads are brainwashing his neighbors while insisting the same ads have no effect on his own vote.
After a documentary about social media manipulation, you worry about how much your teenage nephew is being shaped by his feed, while feeling sure your own habits are untouched.
Why your mind does this
To act at all, we need some belief that our choices matter and that we can pull them off. A bit of extra confidence gets us moving, keeps us going after setbacks, and protects our sense of self-worth and our standing in a group.
Its family, in 30 seconds: Confidence to act
How to spot it
Watch for the thought 'other people are so easily swayed by this' and ask why you would be the exception.
How to counter it
Trace one concrete choice, like a recent purchase or opinion, back to where you first heard about it.
Same family: Confidence to act
- Overconfidence effect
- Social desirability bias
- Third-person effect
- False consensus effect
- Hard-easy effect
- Lake Wobegon effect
- Dunning-Kruger effect
- Egocentric bias
- Optimism bias
- Forer effect
- Barnum effect
- Self-serving bias
- Actor-observer bias
- Illusion of control
- Illusory superiority
- Fundamental attribution error
- Defensive attribution hypothesis
- Trait ascription bias
- Effort justification
- Risk compensation
- Peltzman effect
SourcesDavison (1983)·Wikipedia