Watch for
Attributing opinions to self-interest while believing your own are principled.
Social & PerceptionBias #51
Naive Cynicism
We expect everyone else to be more biased than they are.
The tendency to expect other people to act with far more self-serving bias than they actually do while viewing oneself as objective.
Why it matters: The mirror image of naive realism. Together they create social conflict.
Try this
Apply the same scrutiny to your own motives that you apply to others.
Real-world example
Assuming a colleague supports a proposal only because it benefits their career.
Key researchers
Justin Kruger, Thomas Gilovich
First described in 1999
Psychological mechanism
Attributional asymmetry. We access our own internal states but not others. This makes it easier to give charitable explanations for ourselves and cynical ones for others.
Below is a realistic scenario. Read it, then choose what you would do. The feedback will show whether a cognitive bias influenced your choice — not to judge, but to reveal the pattern in action.
Thought Experiment
This experiment places you in a realistic decision. Your instinctive choice will reveal whether bias is at work.
STEP 1 → ReadSTEP 2 → ChooseSTEP 3 → Reveal
Debrief
Naive cynicism is the mirror of naive realism. One believes 'I see objectively' the other believes 'you are biased but I am not.' The cure is symmetric: extend the same charity to others that you give yourself.
Sources
Original ResearchKruger and Gilovich (1999) — Naive cynicism
EducationalAPA Dictionary entry