When it comes to money, nice people really are more likely to finish last, a new study suggests.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 3 million people and found that those who were nice were at increased risk for bankruptcy and other financial problems.
Why? They just don't value money as much as other people do, according to the study published Oct. 11 in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
"We were interested in understanding whether having a nice and warm personality, what academics in personality research describe as agreeableness, was related to negative financial outcomes," said lead author Sandra Matz, an assistant professor of management at Columbia Business School in New York City.
Other studies have linked agreeableness with lower income and credit scores, she said.
"We wanted to see if that association held true for other financial indicators and, if so, better understand why nice guys seem to finish last," Matz said in a journal news release.
Researchers tied agreeableness to indicators of financial hardship, including lower savings, higher debt and higher default rates.
Study co-author Joe Gladstone is an assistant professor of management at University College London. "This relationship appears to be driven by the fact that agreeable people simply care less about money and therefore are at higher risk of money mismanagement," he said.
But everyone who's agreeable isn't at equal risk of financial hardship. The association was much stronger for people who make less money.
"Being kind and trusting has financial costs, especially for those who do not have the means to compensate for their personalities," Matz said.
The study only found an association rather than a cause-and-effect link. Yet surprisingly, even when agreeableness was measured in childhood, it was still linked to more financial hardship later in life.
Also surprising was a comparison of publicly available personality and financial information from two areas in the United Kingdom with similar per-capita income levels. The city with higher scores on agreeableness had a 50 percent higher bankruptcy rate, the study found.
"Our results help us to understand one potential factor underlying financial hardship, which can have serious implications for people's well-being," Matz said.
Being nice tied to financial hardship, study finds
Can believe. People treat me like a stupid freak when I don't demand compensation for everything, but I don't really need that much. Consumption doesn't define me. I had a boss who said that $200k/yr wasn't enough for him to be willing to retire, while I wouldn't feel compelled to work anymore if I made $60k/yr. I might still work anyway to have fun, but I would feel no pressure to invest myself. Enjoying life is easier when you have the means to provide for yourself, but excess isn't necessary.
excess is fine
you using that defines you
you can do something useful to the society with it instead
Better be scrawny nitpicky jewish fucker because jewish paper said so
All that matters is family and offspring
Money is worthless paper
t. Slaanesh
Bullshit
Not shocking. This world is evil so evil dickish people get ahead. If the would wasn't evil we would be exalting evil.
more news at 11
this
how do assholes swim? can you show me a video of it?
This isn't a surprise to me. I know some agreeable people and I have to look out for them.
so basically those with christian values are dominated by those with judeo "values" in our (((judeo-christian))) society hmm
I dislike meeting nice people. It takes longer to figure out what their ulterior motives are. I distrust everyone. I know no one is truly nice or altruistic—it's just a mask.
You're just projecting your own self-loathing.
The reason you don't trust anyone is because you are utterly untrustworthy.
so how do i get rich by being an asshole?
Bullshit my sister is a stuck up thot yet she's a bum.
The more money you have the easier it is to be an asshole without consequences
one more time: correlation does not mean causality, drowning deaths and ice cream consumption correlate, but Ben & Jerry are not drowners
I'm sure you can figure it out by yourself. But I suggest the white-collar route.
Yeah. you really would think fat people would float better.
nice logic fucktard
snakes eat other snakes all the time
Agreeableness is a mask. More often than not, nice people are, deep down, angry, neurotic, and greedy (more so than rich people).
There's a difference between being nice and being kind: nice is being pleasant because of social expectations while kindness comes from a genuine desire to be good and do good.
Doormats feel a sense of powerlessness and are willing to be more generous than others because they've been discouraged from being assertive.
this.
quality of life is the true value, money is worthless if you can't do anything with it.
fuck the $_$ eyed juden