Do you have a soft heart, take an interest in the well-being of others, or have a tendency to sympathize with the hardships of your friends? If you answered yes to any of these questions, it could be adversely affecting your income. It turns out that the old expression “nice guys finish last” may have some truth to it.
THE ROLE OF AGREEABLENESS
Through a series of four studies, researchers (Judge, Livingston, & Hurst, 2012) found that agreeable individuals and women had lower incomes than disagreeable individuals and men. This relationship between agreeableness and wages was more pronounced among men. Evidence further supported that there is social backlash against agreeable men. Disagreeable men had greater incomes than agreeable men, and highly agreeable men suffered even more.
When it came to women, the income discrepancy between disagreeable and agreeable individuals was smaller. It appears that gender is the primary factor affecting women, with agreeableness being merely another dynamic that may affect salaries.
BIG PICTURE TAKEAWAY
However, don’t take these results as carte blanche for rudeness at the office. It is important to note that further research is still needed to determine the exact reason for the connection between disagreeableness and higher wages. One possibility is that less agreeable individuals are simply more able to pursue career opportunities, due to having fewer social or familial ties. Until then, researchers will simply have to gather more data and keep their eyes open for unexpected or unjustified inequities of opportunity and salary.