Unique Prevalence of the Better-than-average Effect in the Moral Domain under Self-protection among Young Japanese Adults

The better-than-average effect (BTAE) is considered uniquely prevalent in the moral domain due to its widespread occurrence and independence from psychobehavioral characteristics. However, it is unclear whether it manifests in the contexts of self-enhancement and self-protection, and over a wide range of psychobehavioral characteristics. We examined the BTAE in four domains based on combinations of social values and motivations and explored the relationship between the four domains and 22 characteristics. The results reveal that the BTAE existed in the moral domain in the presence of the self-protection motive; moreover, it was not associated with the characteristics. This study demonstrated that the BTAE is uniquely prevalent in the moral domain in the context of the self-protection motive, potentially reflecting sociocultural dynamics.