Stanford Psychology Podcast 170 - Marginalia Episode: Erica Bailey on Authenticity (REAIR)
Feb 20, 2026
Erica Bailey, a UC Berkeley Haas professor who studies authenticity and self-perception. She explores how felt truth can diverge from objective reality. Short conversations cover why core self-aspects skew positive, how others judge authenticity, cultural and contextual influences, authenticity at work and in interviews, and balancing vulnerability with competence.
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Authenticity Feels More Than It’s Accurate
- People feel authentic when self-aspects match what "feels real" rather than strict objective accuracy.
- Erica Bailey argues authenticity emerges from positively weighted core self-beliefs more than unbiased self-processing.
Core Identity Skews Positive
- Central identity traits people list tend to be predominantly positive.
- Bailey found participants' core self-descriptors skew toward positive attributes when asked to list them.
Self And Observer Views Often Diverge
- Self-rated authenticity and other-rated authenticity diverge strongly.
- Bailey reports a near-zero correlation between how authentic people feel and how others perceive them.