(Press-News.org) Drawing upon more than 100 interviews with professional staff in large corporations in Melbourne, New York and Toronto, the pilot study found a strong correlation between confidence and occupational success
Participants were asked to describe their level of confidence at primary school, high school, university, and present day. Those who self-reported higher levels of confidence earlier in school earned better wages, and were promoted more quickly.
Lead author Dr Reza Hasmath, from the University's School of Social and Political Sciences, said the research demonstrates a crucial ingredient of workplace advancement.
"The implications are tremendous in terms of the personality employers should look for when it comes to hiring or promoting staff,"Dr Hasmath said.
The findings also shed new light on previous studies that argued the existence of 'erotic capital', meaning better looking people are more likely to get ahead in the workplace, or studies which indicate taller people earn higher salaries.
"We now know it's actually higher confidence levels — which may be a byproduct of attractiveness and height — which make all the difference," said Dr Hasmath.
"The findings imply that we should stress confidence-building activities at an early age. Such activities should be strongly encouraged both in formal schooling and within the family unit."
The full study — The Minority Report, which also looks at job search, hiring and promotion processes in the large corporations — will be released at the end of the year.
It further suggests that workers who described themselves as 'extroverted', 'neurotic', 'open to experiences' or 'agreeable' (standard indicators of conscientiousness) were also found to be more motivated, and doing well professionally in terms of wages and career advancement.
"Interestingly, members of visible ethnic minorities reported lower rates of confidence, but similar levels of conscientiousness," Dr Hasmath said.
"This may partially explain why their wages and rates of advancement are consistently lower than members of a non-visible ethnic minority."
### END
Self-confidence the secret to workplace advancement
2012-10-18
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Online First article posted to www.annals.org
2012-10-18
More than 200 patients have been diagnosed with fungal meningitis following spinal epidural injections with contaminated methylprednisolone from a compounding pharmacy. In a clinical observation being published early online today in Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers provide details about the clinical care, deterioration, and ultimately the death of one of the index cases in this outbreak. The authors took care of a 51-year-old patient who initially sought emergency medical care for occipital headaches radiating to the face one week after having an epidural steroid ...
From the twitching whiskers of babes: Naptime behavior shapes the brain
2012-10-18
VIDEO:
Sample video clips of individual, dual, and multiple whisker twitches are shown, as is an example of a mystacial pad movement. See Figure 1A to orient the whiskers on the...
Click here for more information.
The whiskers of newborn rats twitch as they sleep, and that could open the door to new understandings about the intimate connections between brain and body. The discovery reinforces the notion that such involuntary movements are a vital contributor to the development ...
Treating vascular disorders with a cell-based strategy
2012-10-18
A new approach for generating large numbers of circulatory system cells, known as vascular endothelial cells (VECs), from human amniotic-fluid-derived cells (ACs) is reported in a study published by Cell Press October 18th in the journal Cell. The strategy, which shows promise in mice, opens the door to establishing a vast inventory of VECs for promoting organ regeneration and treating diverse vascular disorders.
"Currently, there is no treatment available for a broad range of patients with vascular diseases, including patients who have suffered heart attack, stroke, ...
Norovirus outbreaks in nursing homes associated with increase in hospitalizations, risk of death
2012-10-18
CHICAGO – In a study that included more than 300 Medicare-certified nursing homes, rates of hospitalization and death were substantially increased during outbreaks of norovirus gastroenteritis vs. non-outbreak periods, according to a study appearing in the October 24/31 issue of JAMA. The study is being published early online to coincide with its presentation at the ID (infectious disease) Week meeting.
"In the United States, nursing homes annually provide care to approximately 3.3 million residents' and 22 percent of all deaths occur in these settings. Gastroenteritis ...
Rethinking toxic proteins on the cellular level
2012-10-18
Histones are proteins needed to assemble DNA molecules into chromosomes. They have long represented a classic balancing act in biology; too few histone molecules result in DNA damage, while too many histones are toxic to the cell. New research at the University of Rochester is causing a fundamental shift in the concept of histone balance and the mechanism behind it.
Previous studies of Drosophila embryos showed massive amounts of histones located on lipid droplets, the structures associated with fat storage. While it had been speculated that the lipid droplets provide ...
Researchers elucidate transport pathway of immune system substances
2012-10-18
To transport substances from the site of their production to their destination, the body needs a sophisticated transport and sorting system. Various receptors in and on the cells recognize certain molecules, pack them and ensure that they are transported to the right place. One of these receptors is Sortilin. It is present in the cells of the nervous system, the liver, and the immune system. Studies by Stefanie Herda and Dr. Armin Rehm (Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, MDC, Berlin-Buch and Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin) and the immunologist Dr. Uta Höpken ...
Food vs. fuel: Is there surplus land for bioenergy?
2012-10-18
Braunschweig/ Leipzig. An interdisciplinary team of 11 scientists from seven European countries and the USA have discussed the concept to utilize so called surplus land for the production of feedstock for bioenergy. They identified environmental, economic and social constraints but also options for efficient use of surplus land for bioenergy. The study provides a scientific background in support of a reassessment of land available for bioenergy feedstock production. Their findings were published in the open access journal BioRisk.
Increasing demand for bioenergy feedstock ...
Italian Health Minister joins international call for secondary fracture prevention
2012-10-18
A newly released IOF report for World Osteoporosis Day, 'Capture the Fracture – A global campaign to break the fragility fracture cycle', clearly outlines the care gap which is leaving millions of fracture patients undiagnosed and without treatment for osteoporosis or assessment for falls risk.
IOF CEO Judy Stenmark stated, "An adult who has experienced a first fragility fracture – often at the wrist or vertebrae – is at double the risk of having a fracture as compared to someone who hasn't fractured. Despite this red flag indicating osteoporosis and high risk of subsequent ...
Antibiotic shows promise in treating extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis
2012-10-18
WHAT:
When tested in patients hospitalized with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) unresponsive to previous treatment, linezolid, an antibiotic used to treat severe bacterial infections, proved largely effective when added to the patients' ongoing TB treatment regimen. Also, few patients developed resistance to the drug. These promising findings were tempered, however, by the fact that 82 percent of the patients who received linezolid experienced significant adverse events that may have been related to the drug. Findings from the study appear in the ...
A little science goes a long way
2012-10-18
PULLMAN, Wash. - A Washington State University researcher has found that engaging elementary school students in science for as little as 10 hours a year can lead to improved test scores in math and language arts.
Samantha Gizerian, a clinical assistant professor in WSU's Department of Veterinary and Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology and Physiology, saw improved test scores among fourth-grade students in South Los Angeles after students from the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science gave 10 one-hour presentations on science.
"A lot of students say things like, ...