People tend to credit their successes to their own talent and effort, while blaming failures on bad luck, unfair conditions or other people. A student who earns a good grade thanks their own preparation, but a poor grade gets blamed on a harsh teacher or unfair questions. Psychologists have found the same pattern at work, in sports, relationships and consumer decisions. The bias protects self-esteem, which is why it persists even though it distorts our picture of what actually happened. People also reject negative feedback more readily than positive feedback, so their errors tend to stay hidden from them.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.