Abstract :
A recent meta-analysis on cross-cultural studies
of self-enhancement finds that evidence for East Asian selfenhancement
is consistently apparent only in studies where
participants compare themselves to the average other, aka
the ‘‘Better-than-Average’’ Effect (BAE). However, prior
research has suggested that the BAE may conflate motivations
to view the self in a positive light with nonmotivational
factors, such as a tendency to evaluate
‘‘everyone as better than average’’ [EBTA; Klar Y, Gilladi
EE (1997) J Personal Soc Psychol 73:885–901]. In two
studies, European-Canadian, Asian-Canadian, and Japanese
students were asked to evaluate themselves as well as
a fictitious student compared to the average. Replicating
prior research, evidence for Japanese self-enhancement
was found with the BAE, albeit weaker than Canadians.
However, in the measures where the EBTA effect was
circumvented, self-enhancement was no longer evident
among Japanese. Likewise, within the BAE method, prior
research has found that East Asians self-enhance more for
important than unimportant traits. When the EBTA effect
was circumvented this correlation was also significantly
reduced. Findings from this research converge with other
sources of evidence that East Asians do not appear to be
motivated to self-enhance.
