It’s official: “Nice guys really do finish last,” said Jonah Lehrer in Wired.com. A new study suggests that being agreeable translates into a significantly lower salary for men. Researchers repeatedly interviewed nearly 9,000 people who entered the labor market over the past decade and compared their incomes. They determined that nicer character traits, such as trust, straightforwardness, and compliance, are distinct disadvantages for men. On average, agreeable men “earned nearly $7,000 less than their disagreeable peers.” In a follow-up study, college students presented with hypothetical job candidates consistently fast-tracked the more disagreeable men for management. Your unpleasant colleagues’ edge appears to be a willingness to “fight for what they want,” especially pay raises. “Being agreeable won’t make you rich.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
-
The long road ahead to rebuild life in GazaThe Explainer As the Israel-Hamas ceasefire takes effect, Palestinians return to find 90% of homes destroyed, health and water infrastructure in ruins, and acute food poverty
-
Why trout is the new salmonThe Week Recommends Oven-roasted, hot-smoked or topping a jacket potato, trout is winning favour over salmon for its sustainability and delicate flavour
-
The news at a glance...Internationalfeature International
-
The bottom line
feature Youthful startup founders; High salaries for anesthesiologists; The myth of too much homework; More mothers stay a home; Audiences are down, but box office revenue rises
-
The week at a glance...Americas
feature Americas
-
The news at a glance...United States
feature United States
-
The news at a glance
feature Comcast defends planned TWC merger; Toyota recalls 6.39 million vehicles; Takeda faces $6 billion in damages; American updates loyalty program; Regulators hike leverage ratio
-
The bottom line
feature The rising cost of graduate degrees; NSA surveillance affects tech profits; A glass ceiling for female chefs?; Bonding to a brand name; Generous Wall Street bonuses
-
The news at a glance
feature GM chief faces Congress; FBI targets high-frequency trading; Yellen confirms continued low rates; BofA settles mortgage claims for $9.3B; Apple and Samsung duke it out
-
The week at a glance...International
feature International