Children who are kind and helpful are more likely to be poor in adulthood, according to a new study.
Experts from University College London and Columbia Business School analyzed data from more than three million people and found that malevolent individuals were on average richer than others.
They observed children throughout their later life and directly with adults.
Pleasantness in all respects and compliance correlates with lower incomes and credit scores, with less savings and higher debt in general.
Scientists tried to understand why this is happening, and they came to the following conclusion: people with positive personality traits perform worse financially, not because they are more willing to compromise, but because they simply care less about money and, accordingly are worse off in their financial affairs.
Dr. Sandra Matz of Columbia Business School said: "These findings help us understand one of the possible factors underlying financial hardship that can have serious consequences for human well-being."
"Kindness and gullibility leads to financial costs, especially for those who do not have the means to compensate for such qualities in their personalities."
The researchers drew conclusions based on two online metrics in a national survey: bank account data and publicly available geographic data.
Promotional video:
The researchers also used the available data to determine the correspondence of personalities with positive qualities and financial indicators in two areas of the UK, where on average there was the same level of income per capita.
It is curious that in the city, which scored significantly higher points in the degree of compliance of the population, there were 50 percent more bankruptcies.
"Previous research has shown that responsiveness and compliance were associated with lower credit score and lower income."
"We wanted to know if this relationship is true for other financial metrics, and if so, it would be nice to understand why the good guys seem to be among the laggards."
The study was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Serg kite