Some subjects were taunted with this instruction: “Now, if you are worried that you might choke under pressure or if you don't think you have what it takes to beat the target, then you might want to play it safe and just go for the two dollars.” Subjects with high self-esteem were more likely to choose the more difficult option, choice (b),45 and averaged lower earnings—25 cents—than the low self-esteem subjects, who averaged $2.80. In a second, similar experiment, experimenters found that those with high self-esteem “showed the greatest tendency to make high bets on themselves and then
...more
