Perceiving everyone as better than they are is known as what?

The phenomenon where individuals tend to perceive everyone as better than they are is most accurately described as leniency. This concept refers to the tendency of evaluators to rate people more favorably than warranted, often leading to inflated assessments of performance or abilities. Leniency can occur for various reasons, including a desire to maintain positive relationships or avoid conflict, which can inadvertently result in a skewed perception of others' skills or contributions.

In contrast, the halo effect involves allowing a single positive trait or quality of a person to influence one's overall judgment of that individual. Centrism, on the other hand, refers to a preference for moderate or average ratings, avoiding extremes. Self-serving bias is a cognitive distortion wherein individuals attribute their successes to their own abilities while blaming failures on external factors. These distinctions clarify why leniency is the appropriate term for perceiving everyone more favorably than their actual performance justifies.