I assume I'm below average • Hacker News Board

Re: I assume I'm below average

#71

Post by blaix » Fri, Jul 02, 2010, 12:12 PM UTC

rmc wrote: post #69

It's quite possible for more than 50% of people to be above average drivers. If there are 100 people, and 80 of them cause no accidents, and the other 20 cause 10 accidents each, then there are 2 accidents per driver. 80% have less than average accident rate. By the same logic it's possible for most people to have a below average salary. Once extremes are possible, then averages start being less applicable. However f…

I think the percents are merely anecdotal and the main point is to keep an open mind. Don't assume you are always right.

Re: I assume I'm below average

#72

Post by lemming » Fri, Jul 02, 2010, 12:14 PM UTC

rmundo wrote: post #68

It pays to be able to flexibly switch my mindset in a way that is beneficial to myself. On the one hand, I want to always feel there is room for improvement. On the other, I don't want always be feeling inadequate compared to other members of my comparison group. It's easy to keep measuring yourself against an ever tighter, ever more elite group of people. The pressure is not always worth it.

This is a great point - this is a really easy trap to fall into reading about programming on the internet, for example.

Re: I assume I'm below average

#73

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jul 02, 2010, 12:34 PM UTC

gkoberger wrote: post #5

My take on this is slightly different. I think people have different opinions on what above average means. Take the driving example. I may say I'm an above average driver, since I have good reflexes and can drive at high speeds. However, someone else might say they're a good driver because they follow the speed limit. I think the reason everyone thinks they're above average is because they are- they're just above ave…

[deleted]

Re: I assume I'm below average

#74

Post by shughes » Fri, Jul 02, 2010, 1:01 PM UTC

If you're overly confident, assume you're just average. If you lack confidence, assume you're better than everyone else.

I think it's a matter of knowing where you stand in the range of low to high confidence, and then trying to balance it out.

Re: I assume I'm below average

#75

Post by JangoSteve » Fri, Jul 02, 2010, 1:04 PM UTC

I've stopped thinking others are stupid. I assume most people are smarter than me.

This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:

  "Every man I meet is in some way my superior, and in that, I can learn from him."
  -Ralph Waldo Emerson

I used to find myself thinking others were less knowledgeable or less advanced than me in a lot of subject areas. Now I always remind myself that if such a great person could always find something in others better than himself, then there's absolutely no excuse for me.

Re: I assume I'm below average

#76

Post by dlnovell » Fri, Jul 02, 2010, 1:09 PM UTC

JangoSteve wrote: post #75

I've stopped thinking others are stupid. I assume most people are smarter than me. This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: "Every man I meet is in some way my superior, and in that, I can learn from him." -Ralph Waldo Emerson I used to find myself thinking others were less knowledgeable or less advanced than me in a lot of subject areas. Now I always remind myself that if such a great person could always find s…

It also reminded me of my favorite quote:

"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that." -George Carlin

Re: I assume I'm below average

#77

Post by JangoSteve » Fri, Jul 02, 2010, 1:11 PM UTC

shughes wrote: post #74

If you're overly confident, assume you're just average. If you lack confidence, assume you're better than everyone else. I think it's a matter of knowing where you stand in the range of low to high confidence, and then trying to balance it out.

Lacking confidence and thinking you're better than everyone else can lead to very bad things.

Re: I assume I'm below average

#78

Post by MicahWedemeyer » Fri, Jul 02, 2010, 1:35 PM UTC

HSO wrote: post #55

It's a nice attitude to have in a perfect world but what about this one? In many contexts, especially where there is high noise to signal, people will tend to believe/bet on/buy/hire/have sex with the guy who seems so (possibly over-) confident and makes lots of (possibly empty) promises over the guy who is humble and annoyingly realistic. I can't remember which firm but the leader of a cosmetics firm once said "we d…

This is actually a very good point. Know when to be bold and confident, and know when to keep your mouth shut.

I've actually found a good heuristic to know when to do which. If I'm uncomfortable and insecure, it's time to be bold. And if I'm sure I'm right and the other guy's wrong, it's probably time to shut up and listen. It basically comes down to doing the opposite of my emotional response.

It's not easy, but when I follow that guideline, things tend to work out better.

Re: I assume I'm below average

#79

Post by wheaties » Fri, Jul 02, 2010, 1:49 PM UTC

gkoberger wrote: post #5

My take on this is slightly different. I think people have different opinions on what above average means. Take the driving example. I may say I'm an above average driver, since I have good reflexes and can drive at high speeds. However, someone else might say they're a good driver because they follow the speed limit. I think the reason everyone thinks they're above average is because they are- they're just above ave…

That's an interesting thought. To say that 96% of people rate themselves a better driver because they customize their criteria to reflect what they value is quite insightful.

Re: I assume I'm below average

#80

Post by paulgb » Fri, Jul 02, 2010, 1:54 PM UTC

rmc wrote: post #69

It's quite possible for more than 50% of people to be above average drivers. If there are 100 people, and 80 of them cause no accidents, and the other 20 cause 10 accidents each, then there are 2 accidents per driver. 80% have less than average accident rate. By the same logic it's possible for most people to have a below average salary. Once extremes are possible, then averages start being less applicable. However f…

Good point, but if you follow through to the source of the driving statistic that Derek quoted, they're actually using the median rather than the mean. Also, you've defined the "goodness" of drivers as a discrete measure. If you defined it as a continuous measure (say, a function of risky behavior and fuel consumption), then it is impossible by definition for more than 50% of drivers to be above average.

(I'm guilty of self-plagiarism here http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191101)