Do Nice Guys Finish Last? It’s Complicated

Do Nice Guys Finish Last?

It turns out that the answer depends on how you define “nice.”

When you think of “nice,” are you describing someone who is agreeable, polite, and cooperative? Or are you thinking of someone who goes the extra mile to help you, the one who is motivated by helping others? (Perhaps you’re thinking of that Good Soldier busy doing organizational citizenship behavior we talked about last week?)

Prosocial Over Agreeable?

Studies have shown that people high in agreeableness have worse job performance and careers.

But if we define nice as being focused on the prosocial—doing things to actually benefit others—then a recent meta-analysis suggests that those with prosocial motivations do better than those who don’t. They have higher job performance and career success.