Emily Pronin and colleagues described a range of thinking biases to volunteers, who rated the average person as far more prone to them than themselves. Even after learning about this very “blind spot,” they kept believing they were the exception. We judge others by their actions, and ourselves by our good intentions.
Remembering is not replaying a recording — it is rebuilding. Each time you recall a memory, it becomes temporarily malleable and can be altered before being stored again. That is why two people can sincerely remember the same event… differently.
In 2003, Johnson and Goldstein compared European countries. Where you must tick a box to become a donor, consent rates ranged from 4% to 28%. Where you're a donor by default unless you opt out, they topped 85%. People aren't more generous on one side; most simply stick with whatever option was chosen for them.