The Awkward Teenage Years…And Beyond: Study Reveals That a Lack of Tact is Worse Than a Lack of Popularity
MONTREAL, Canada (PRWEB) May 26, 2018 -- As if fitting in wasn’t hard enough, with the graceless onslaught of puberty, hormones, and pimples. Add social awkwardness to the mix and things just seem to go from cute and kooky to humiliating – and this pattern can continue into adulthood. Recent research from PsychTests reveals, however, that learning a crucial social skill – tact – can make a major difference in a person’s life satisfaction, even if they aren’t very high on the social ladder.
Collecting data from 1,548 people of all ages who took their Big Five Personality Test, researchers compared four distinct groups:
• Those who are socially popular and tactful
• Those who are socially popular but tactless
• Those who are socially unpopular but tactful
• Those who are both unpopular and tactless
According to PsychTests study, these four groups differed in a number of areas, including their personality, mental health, social/relationships skills, and values:
Have seen a therapist in the last 2 years:
• 18% of those in the Popular & Tactful group
• 25% of those in the Popular & Tactless group
• 16% of those in the Unpopular & Tactful group
• 29% of those in the Unpopular & Tactless group
Don’t cope well with stress:
• 3% of those in the Popular & Tactful group
• 24% of those in the Popular & Tactless group
• 24% of those in the Unpopular & Tactful group
• 38% of those in the Unpopular & Tactless group
Don’t cope well with change:
• 7% of those in the Popular & Tactful group
• 19% of those in the Popular & Tactless group
• 18% of those in the Unpopular & Tactful group
• 21% of those in the Unpopular & Tactless group
“Drama Queens”:
• 23% of those in the Popular & Tactful group
• 62% of those in the Popular & Tactless group
• 35% of those in the Unpopular & Tactful group
• 63% of those in the Unpopular & Tactless group
Pushy:
• 14% of those in the Popular & Tactful group
• 46% of those in the Popular & Tactless group
• 11% of those in the Unpopular & Tactful group
• 38% of those in the Unpopular & Tactless group
Good self-esteem:
• 85% of those in the Popular & Tactful group
• 78% of those in the Popular & Tactless group
• 65% of those in the Unpopular & Tactful group
• 56% of those in the Unpopular & Tactless group
Outspoken and opinionated:
• 55% of those in the Popular & Tactful group
• 77% of those in the Popular & Tactless group
• 36% of those in the Unpopular & Tactful group
• 57% of those in the Unpopular & Tactless group
Easy to talk to:
• 91% of those in the Popular & Tactful group
• 79% of those in the Popular & Tactless group
• 73% of those in the Unpopular & Tactful group
• 52% of those in the Unpopular & Tactless group
Make friends easily:
• 80% of those in the Popular & Tactful group
• 71% of those in the Popular & Tactless group
• 38% of those in the Unpopular & Tactful group
• 35% of those in the Unpopular & Tactless group
Prefer to hang out with people from their own culture/of their own ethnicity:
• 3% of those in the Popular & Tactful group
• 6% of those in the Popular & Tactless group
• 5% of those in the Unpopular & Tactful group
• 20% of those in the Unpopular & Tactless group
Get into conflicts/arguments on a weekly basis:
• 10% of those in the Popular & Tactful group
• 32% of those in the Popular & Tactless group
• 13% of those in the Unpopular & Tactful group
• 38% of those in the Unpopular & Tactless group
Believe that lying in relationships (to friends, family, partner) is fine:
• 21% of those in the Popular & Tactful group
• 47% of those in the Popular & Tactless group
• 24% of those in the Unpopular & Tactful group
• 43% of those in the Unpopular & Tactless group
Keep promises:
• 79% of those in the Popular & Tactful group
• 56% of those in the Popular & Tactless group
• 72% of those in the Unpopular & Tactful group
• 41% of those in the Unpopular & Tactless group
Go out of their way to better themselves:
• 67% of those in the Popular & Tactful group
• 62% of those in the Popular & Tactless group
• 51% of those in the Unpopular & Tactful group
• 41% of those in the Unpopular & Tactless group
Self-absorbed:
• 18% of those in the Popular & Tactful group
• 43% of those in the Popular & Tactless group
• 18% of those in the Unpopular & Tactful group
• 48% of those in the Unpopular & Tactless group
“Tact doesn’t just contribute to better interactions and relationships,” explains Dr. Jerabek, president of PsychTests. “If you’re tactful, you’re more likely to get along with people and they with you – which means that when you need social support to get through a difficult time in your life, you’ll at least have a few people to turn to. This is why the two tactful groups seemed to fare better in terms of their emotional health. Yes, being popular means your social network is wider, but if you’re a nice person, you’re more likely to draw other nice people to you. In this day and age of ‘trolling’, where people feel free to voice hatred and venomous insults from behind the safety of their computer screens, it’s refreshing to know that for many people, tact is still considered important.”
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About PsychTests AIM Inc.
PsychTests AIM Inc. originally appeared on the internet scene in 1996. Since its inception, it has become a pre-eminent provider of psychological assessment products and services to human resource personnel, therapists, academics, researchers and a host of other professionals around the world. PsychTests AIM Inc. staff is comprised of a dedicated team of psychologists, test developers, researchers, statisticians, writers, and artificial intelligence experts (see ARCHProfile.com). The company’s research division, Plumeus Inc., is supported in part by Research and Development Tax Credit awarded by Industry Canada.
Ilona Jerabek, PsychTests AIM Inc., http://psychtests.com, +1 514-745-3189 Ext: 112, [email protected]
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