Cynics Make Less Money Than Optimists, Study Finds

Optimists are often criticized for not keeping their feet on the ground. Although over-optimism can be detrimental, especially when one stops being objective and gets carried away by unfounded optimism, orResearch reveals that optimistic people make more money than cynical people.

Cynicism has a price

Being a cynical person has a price: it causes you to earn less money. This is the conclusion reached by researchers at the University of Cologne (Germany). study, published by the APA (American Psychological Association) and headed by Olga Stavrova and Daniel Ehlebracht, states that cynicism not only affects physical and emotional health, but also affects the purse.

This only occurs in countries with high levels of altruistic behavior and a low homicide rate. In this group are the Netherlands, Italy, Finland and Sweden.

Cynicism affects your health and your wallet

Olga Stravova, researcher at the Institute of Sociology and Social Psychology at the University of Cologne, states: Previous research on the consequences of having a cynical attitude indicates that it negatively affects different aspects. Cynicism has negative consequences for physical health, psychological well-being, the relationship and, as this study affirms, the pocket of the cynical person ”.

This research revealed that optimists earn on average $ 3,600 more per year than cynics. In addition, the latter often miss valuable opportunities to work as a team and cooperate with people who can help them increase their income.

The study used data from Europe and the United States

More than 16,000 subjects participated in the study, responding to questionnaires that measured distrust and cynicism. These results were then compared with the income of the respondents. The participants were people residing in Europe and the United States, and the study combines results from different investigations.

The first investigation used data from 1,146 participants who participated in a survey of Americans' Changing Lives in 2002 and 2011.

The second study used data from 497 participants from a study published in General Social Survey which took place in 2010 and 2012. The responses were similar to the study mentioned above.

In the third study 15,698 Germans participated who were surveyed annually from 2003 to 2012. The conclusions were similar in all studies.

Despite the results obtained, Olga Stavrova, the co-author of the research, points out that “paradoxically in other countries where there is less philanthropy and more antisocial behavior, the most cynical people do not earn less than the optimistic. This occurs in countries where this type of attitude is justified at the cultural level ”.