Nice guys (and gals) come last? Yes, but they last longer.
In the workplace they do, according to new research co-authored by University of Notre Dame Management Professor Timothy Judge. But there also is a double standard for women and, yes, a pay gap.
Judge, the Franklin D. Schurz Professor of Management in Notre Dame’sMendoza College of Business; Beth Livingston from Cornell University; and Charlice Hurst of the University of Western Ontario, document the effects of gender and “agreeableness” in their study, “Do Nice Guys – and Gals – Really Finish Last? The Joint Effects of Sex and Agreeableness on Income.”
In contemporary psychology, “agreeableness” is one of the “Big Five” dimensions of personality used to describe human personality. It generally refers to someone who is warm, sympathetic, kind and cooperative (in short, a “nice” person), and is the most valued characteristic cited when people are asked to identify with whom they want to spend time.
But in terms of predicting workplace success, “agreeableness” doesn’t carry the same cachet, says Judge.
“We studied four large data sets,” he says. “And in all four we found there is a penalty for being agreeable in the workplace. But, while men earn a premium for being disagreeable, women don’t.”
It’s the stereotypical double standard according to Judge.
“If you’re a disagreeable man, you’re considered a tough negotiator,” he says. “But, the perception is that if a woman is agreeable, she gets taken advantage of, and if she is disagreeable, she’s considered a control freak …”
There’s also a cost for go getters in terms of life span, and “the things we know affect longevity: healthy behaviors, stable relationships and deep social networks.”
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