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(Not so) positive illusions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 January 2010

Justin Kruger ,
Steven Chan  and
Neal Roese
Justin Kruger
Affiliation:
Stern School of Business, New York University, New York, NY 10012. jkruger@stern.nyu.eduhttp://w4.stern.nyu.edu/faculty/facultyindex.cgi?id=370
Steven Chan
Affiliation:
Department of Marketing, Stern School of Business, New York University, New York, NY 10012. schan@stern.nyu.eduhttp://w4.stern.nyu.edu/marketing/research.cfm?doc_id=872
Neal Roese
Affiliation:
Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208. n-roese@kellogg.northwestern.eduhttp://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/Faculty/Directory/Roese_Neal.aspx
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Abstract

We question a central premise upon which the target article is based. Namely, we point out that the evidence for “positive illusions” is in fact quite mixed. As such, the question of whether positive illusions are adaptive from an evolutionary standpoint may be premature in light of the fact that their very existence may be an illusion.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 32 , Issue 6 , December 2009 , pp. 526 - 527
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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