A Psychology Professor Explains the Mental Quirk That Makes You Undervalue Your Co-Workers

Who got more done this week, you or your co-worker down the hall? I'm guessing you think it's you. And you could be right. But you also could be wrong because of skewed perception caused by the weird way our brains retain the things we do, compared with the things other people do. That insight comes from Ira Hyman, professor of psychology at Western Washington University.

In an post at Psychology Today, Hyman described what happened when he asked his two sons whose turn it was to wash the dishes. Each son was absolutely certain that he was the one who did them last time. Neither was lying, Hyman was sure. Instead, he believes they were affected by something called egocentric bias in memory. That is, it's much easier for us to remember something we've experienced ourselves, as opposed to something we know someone else has experienced. Which isn't surprising, when you think about it.