Study: Kissing Up to the Boss Works

(Image: Brainy Smurf and Papa Smurf/Warner Bros.)

It's easy when you work for such an intelligent CEO as Alex Santoso or a prudent and thoughtful editor like Miss Cellania. But even if you don't work in a company as well-led as Neatorama, you should put in an effort to suck up to the boss. According to a 1994 study by scholars at Cornell University, your career is more likely to thrive if you flatter your supervisors:

Supervisor-focused tactics...include: agree with your immediate supervisor’s ideas; praise your immediate supervisor on his or her accomplishments; agree with your supervisor’s major opinions outwardly even when you disagree inwardly. Job-focused tactics...include: make others aware of your accomplishments in your job; try to take responsibility for positive events even when you are not solely responsible; arrive at work early in order to look good in front of others.

So being a jerk really helps. Robin Hanson of Overcoming Bias lists other indicators of career satisfaction:

Other things that predicted job success: being married, being on the job many years, working more hours per week, and not having a PhD.

Yes, I can believe those--especially about being married. It makes me happier in general, as well as more settled and focused. It can also change the social dynamics of a workplace.

-via Super Punch