Which studies test whether self‐enhancement is pancultural? Reply to Sedikides, Gaertner, and Vevea, 2007

2007/07/20 by Steven J. Heine, Shinobu Kitayama, Takeshi Hamamura · 1 citation
Psychology · Social Sciences · Neuroscience · #Cultural Differences and Values #Social and Intergroup Psychology #Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment #Psychology #Social psychology #Self-enhancement #Test (biology) #Contrast (vision) #Computer science #Artificial intelligence

paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/j.1467-839x.2007.00226.x

openalex publication_date 2007/07/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04

Abstract

What types of studies test the question of pancultural self‐enhancement? Sedikides, Gaertner, and Vevea (2007) have identified inclusion criteria that largely limit the question to studies of the better‐than‐average effect (i.e. 27 out of 29 effects that they include as ‘validated’ and ‘relevant’). In contrast, other effects which they labelled as ‘unvalidated’ or ‘irrelevant’ used methods other than the better‐than‐average effect (i.e. 24 out of 24 effects). Because Sedikides et al . are drawing conclusions about pancultural self‐enhancement and not the pancultural better‐than‐average effect, these excluded studies are relevant to the hypothesis under question. Ignoring the findings from other methods is highly problematic, in particular because these other methods yield results that conflict with those from the better‐than‐average effect. An analysis of effects from all studies reveals no support for pancultural self‐enhancement.

Citations

• Individual and collective processes in the construction of the self: Self-enhancement in the United States and self-criticism in Japan.
• In Search of East Asian Self-Enhancement
• Is there a universal need for positive self-regard?
• Divergent consequences of success and failure in Japan and North America: An investigation of self-improving motivations and malleable selves.
• Where Is the Evidence for Pancultural Self-Enhancement? A Reply to Sedikides, Gaertner, and Toguchi (2003).
• Pancultural self-enhancement.
• Inclusion of additional studies yields different conclusions: Comment on Sedikides, Gaertner, & Vevea (2005), Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
• Inclusion of theory‐relevant moderators yield the same conclusions as Sedikides, Gaertner, and Vevea (2005): A meta‐analytical reply to Heine, Kitayama, and Hamamura (2007)
• Cultural variation in unrealistic optimism: Does the West feel more vulnerable than the East?
• Pancultural self-enhancement reloaded: A meta-analytic reply to Heine (2005).
• Lake Wobegon be gone! The "below-average effect" and the egocentric nature of comparative ability judgments.

Cited by

• Self-enhancement [wikipedia]