How nice are you? Do you give money to homeless people? Do you offer your seat to someone in need on a bus?
Many people believe that confident people think more highly of themselves, while those who have low self-esteem(自尊)think less of their qualities. However, a new study says it might not be true, the Guardian reported.
The study was done by Jonathan Freeman, a psychologist professor from the University of London, UK. He found that 98 percent of British people consider themselves to be among the nicest 50 percent of the population.
In the study, Freeman first asked some people to rate(估价)their own niceness. Then he got people to answer questions like “Do you give directions to strangers?” and “Have you donated blood?” The results showed that people are not as nice as they think they are. Two thirds of them seldom helped others carry shopping bags, and only a quarter of them donated blood.
In another study by psychologists from universities from Chicago and Virginia, the US, some people were shown pictures of themselves. Some pictures had been slightly(轻微地) changed to make them appear more attractive. When asked to pick the unchanged pictures people usually chose the more attractive ones.
So why do we think we are nicer than we actually are? There are many theories(理论). A popular one says we unconsciously deceive(无意识地欺骗)ourselves, so that we can get confidence without knowingly lying to ourselves or each other.
How can we solve it? Other studies show that there is a simple way: feedback(反馈). Compare others’ opinion toward you with your own and you will see a clearer picture.
33. What did the new study find?
A.Confident people have more good qualities. |
B.People with low self-esteem are mostly not nice. |
C.People are not as nice as they think they are. |
D.Confident people don’t like those with low self-esteem. |
34. According to the theory, people chose the more attractive picture of themselves because ________.
A.they were not happy with their looks |
B.it was hard to tell differences |
C.they lied to themselves without knowing it |
D.they wanted themselves to look good |
35. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.How to be a nice person. | B.Others’ opinion toward you. |
C.How to know ourselves well | D.People’s opinion of their own niceness. |