General belief superiority (GBS)—the tendency for people to think their beliefs are superior to alternatives— is mostly a male phenomenon

General belief superiority (GBS): Personality, motivation, and interpersonal relations. Kaitlin T. Raimi & Katrina P. Jongman-Sereno. Self and Identity, Jul 24 2019. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2019.1640785

ABSTRACT: This paper introduces general belief superiority (GBS)—the tendency for people to think their beliefs are superior to alternatives—and investigates its personological, motivational, and interpersonal features. Across four studies of US residents, a new GBS Scale found that GBS was related to how people process information, think about their attitudes, compare themselves to others, and interact during conflicts. GBS correlated with various existing constructs (e.g., social vigilantism, narcissism), but was unrelated to others (e.g., selfishness). Study 2 established test-retest reliability and found that the belief superior have negative thoughts about controversial topics and are more likely to share opinions online. Study 3 found GBS predicted maladaptive reactions to conflicts with romantic partners. Gender differences and self-enhancement motivations in belief superiority are discussed.

KEYWORDS: Belief superiority, social vigilantism, self-enhancement, relationships, gender differences