In 1981, Ola Svenson asked drivers to rank their own skill against others. Depending on the sample, 69% to 93% put themselves in the top half, which can't be true of that many people. This “better-than-average effect” shows up for intelligence, honesty and sense of humor too. The average driver is always someone else.
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.