The Lake Wobegon effect or illusory superiority is a natural human tendency to overestimate one 's capabilities relative to your peers. It is named after a fictional town in the U.S. state of Minnesota as depicted in the radio show “A Prairie Home Companion”.

The characterisation of the fictional location, where "all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average," has been used to describe a real and pervasive human tendency to overestimate one’s achievements and capabilities in relation to others.

The Lake Wobegon effect, where all or nearly all of a group claim to be above average, has been observed among drivers, CEOs, hedge fund managers, presidents, coaches, radio show hosts, late night comedians,