Self-Serving Bias: Why We Take Credit for Wins and Blame Others for Losses—and How to Stop

Self-Serving Bias: Why We Take Credit for Wins and Blame Others for Losses—and How to Stop

Have you ever felt great after winning a big game, thinking it was all because of your hard work, intelligence, or skill? But when things go wrong, it’s the weather, your coworker, or the universe that are to blame. You’re not the only one who has heard this before. Self-serving bias is a sneaky habit we all have. It makes us think that our successes are due to our own qualities (like skill) and that our failures are due to things outside of us. Let’s talk about why we do this, what it does, and how we can make it better.

What is the bias that serves oneself?

Self-serving bias is basically the tendency to take credit for success and blame others for failure.

Success? “I’m obviously amazing.”

Failure? “Well, it was the situation.” The test was not fair.

This bias is unconscious; it’s not about being manipulative; it’s about protecting our self-esteem. This bias helps us feel good about ourselves, which is something we all want to do. It can protect us, but it can also change how we see the world, which makes it harder to grow and get better.

Some Background and Scope

Fritz Heider’s attribution theory from the 1960s gave rise to the concept of self-serving bias. Heider posited that individuals often formulate explanations for events, typically attributing success to internal characteristics (such as skills and effort) and failures to external influences (such as luck and timing).

This bias is present in all cultures, ages, and situations. But its strength can change depending on your mental health, personality, and culture. For example, people from individualistic cultures, like the U.S., tend to be more self-serving than people from collectivist cultures, where humility is more important.

Why do we do it? The Four Main Things That Drive

So, why do so many people have a self-serving bias? There are a few main reasons.

1. Factors Affecting Mental Health

People who are depressed may have an inverted bias, meaning they blame themselves for their failures but give credit to others for their successes.

Narcissism: People who are narcissistic (or have narcissistic personality disorder) often make their accomplishments seem bigger than they are and shift blame to others, which makes their ego even bigger.

Delusions: In severe cases, such as schizophrenia, this bias can get even stronger, with people blaming everything, good or bad, on their own mental state.

2. Protecting Your Self-Esteem

When we give ourselves credit for our success, it makes us feel better about ourselves. When we blame outside things for our failures, it protects us from negative self-talk. In short, it helps us keep our egos from getting too down on ourselves.

3. Managing how you present yourself and how others see you

We want people to believe that we are smart and capable. So, we take credit for our successes and blame others when things go wrong. This helps us control how other people see us, especially at work or when we’re performing.

4. Cultural Background

The self-serving bias is stronger in cultures that value personal success, like the U.S. People from collectivist cultures, where humility is valued, may not show this bias as much and are more likely to give credit to others.

Examples of Self-Serving Bias in Daily Life

It’s not hard to see it in action. Here are some well-known examples:

The Marathon Runner: Finishes in a slow time and says it’s because of the weather or the course. But not training enough? Not once.

The Student: When they get a bad grade, they immediately think it’s because the teacher was bad or the class was too loud. But the other side thinks, “I’m a genius,” when they ace a test and take full credit.

The Workplace: The project is going well, and that’s because I’m in charge. The project isn’t going well: “Well, we just didn’t have enough resources.”

The Good and Bad of Self-Serving Bias

It can help you control your emotions by keeping you from feeling crushed when things go wrong.

It might give you short-term strength, making you want to keep going even after you fail.

It can help you stay motivated. If you think your success is because of your own hard work, you’re more likely to keep working hard.

The Bad Things

Over time, this bias can change how you see yourself and make you too sure of yourself.

You can’t see where you need to improve, which makes it hard to do so.

People will notice when you always take credit for success but never admit to failure, which can make relationships tense.

In the end, it makes people make bad choices and stops them from growing as people.

How to Break the Cycle: Getting Past Self-Serving Bias

The good news is that you can do something about self-serving bias. This is how to begin making changes:

1. Be more aware of yourself

The first thing to do is to notice when you’re being biased. Writing in a journal, being mindful, or even asking for feedback can help you become more aware of how you react without thinking.

2. Look at events as a whole

When something happens, whether it’s good or bad, take a moment to think about all the things that went into it. What did you do to help? What were the outside factors? When you practice 360° attribution, you can see the whole picture.

3. Don’t Give In to the Urge to Explain

Before you blame someone else, take a deep breath and think about what went wrong. Think about what part you played in this. It can be uncomfortable, but it’s important for growth.

4. Give credit where credit is due and compliment them.

Take a moment to think about the outside factors that helped things go well the next time they do. These could be your teammates, luck, or timing. You won’t need to use self-serving bias as much to feel good about yourself if you practice being humble.

5. Get into a growth mindset

Making mistakes doesn’t mean you’re bad; it just means you need to get better. You’ll be more open to feedback and growth if you see failures as chances to learn instead of things that hurt your ego.

6. Be honest and humble.

Take responsibility for your mistakes. Admitting mistakes in public can be freeing and show strength, not weakness. And when you do well, celebrate in a small way without making the story bigger.

7. Don’t be defensive when you get feedback.

When people tell you what’s wrong with you, don’t take it personally. Instead of seeing it as a personal attack, see it as a chance to grow.

8. Be kind to yourself.

Self-serving bias is a lot about being afraid of failing. When things go wrong, be kinder to yourself. You’ll be less defensive and more open to growth.

When to Get Help from a Professional

Sometimes, self-serving bias might be more than just a habit. It might be time to get help if you can’t take responsibility, are always fighting, or have hurt relationships. Therapy can help you figure out why you have bias and give you tools to communicate better and think about yourself more deeply.

Therapy can help you with cognitive restructuring (CBT), self-compassion training, communication skills, and possibly finding out if you have underlying personality problems, such as Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Effectiveness: Research indicates that 75% of psychotherapy clients experience benefits, including enhancements in relationships, occupational functioning, and overall emotional well-being.

Main Points

Self-serving bias is a normal way to protect our self-esteem, but if we don’t keep it in check, it can stop us from growing.

The first step to getting over it is to know when and how you use it.

You can rely less on this bias, make better choices, and improve your relationships by using tools like honesty, humility, and a growth mindset.

We can start making better choices, be more open to feedback, and be more emotionally strong by being aware of the small ways we protect our egos. Take a deep breath and ask yourself, “What part did I play in this?” the next time something goes wrong. It’s a simple question, but it could change everything.