They Believe They Really Did Win The Race

Heard this on the radio the other day.  Researchers recently conducted an interesting study about certain aspects of self-image and how the privileged often see themselves.  In the study, pairs of people played each other in the classic board game Monopoly.  The twist was that the game was obviously rigged in favor of one of the players.  That player was given twice as much Monopoly money to start the game, double the normal amount for passing "Go", and two dice for each roll instead of one.  Both players were aware of these skewed rules and a pre-game coin toss determined the privileged player.

The researchers had many different pairs of players "compete" in this way.  The winner of each game was never in doubt.  The player given the advantages of extra money and an extra die won every time.

In interviews after each game, researchers found that a majority of the "winners" attributed their victory not just to the dumb luck of the coin toss, but also to their own astute decisions and skill as a Monopoly player, and to their own personal awesomeness in general.

Fascinating, I think.  When given every advantage and handed victory on a platter, some people still will insist that they themselves played a big role in their own guaranteed success.  They were born six inches from the finish line and believe they won the race.