Let's start with a little quiz: How attractive do you think you are, on a scale of 1 to 10? (We'll get to politics soon, I promise.)

After you've given your answer, suppose you get good news. Some observers have been studying your appearance. In their view, you are a lot better looking than you think. Maybe you said 5; if so, the observers said 7.

Next question: After being informed about the observers' rating, will you significantly revise your own?