Earlier today I was reading a blog post over at the Harvard Business Review that asked the question: do nice guys finish last? This is a question that I've thought about on and off ever since my decision to pursue a career in the business world (fun fact- I used to do a bit of freelance design and very seriously considered pursuing my MFA in illustration/fine art), and I still feel conflicted about the answer.
The author's answer? Yep. Nice guys do in fact finish last, a trend displayed by a study showing that men perceived as having more (or larger) "nice" attributes have yearly salaries averaging $10,000 less than their not so agreeable counterparts. Interestingly enoough, the same didn't hold true among women displaying more "nice" characteristics.
So why is it that nice guys finish last but nice girls compete well (compared to their respective counterparts)?