Nice Guys Finish Last

Dave Iverson

Internet Contributor

diverson@uoguelph.ca

Those of you studying biology may be familiar with the term Altruism. If you're not, here a quick and dirty definition. Altruism is defined as sacrificing ones self for the betterment of the population as a whole. In theory the trait should breed itself out of a population. Since if we have a bunch of individuals throwing themselves in front of buses to save little old ladies, there shouldn't be too many people around to reproduce and leave others with the gene for this trait.

Does the above definition sound at all familiar? Perhaps if we attached a common day term for Altruism, more people would have recognized it. Altruism can perhaps also be termed "nice guys finish last."

Since the dawn of time, the debate has raged as to whether or not nice guys actually do finish last. Yet despite the large amounts of evidence to actually suggest that yes, nice guys finish last, there continues to be a strong pool of people who suggest they do not. If you're asking yourselves what evidence is there, well then read on humble reader.

First and foremost to be examined is the dating game, and don't be mislead. It is a game. For this, we'll use hands on experience. If you found yourself being courted by two different people, be they of the same or opposite sex (depending on your sexual orientation), would you choose the individual who: a) was generally pleasant, calling you on the phone to chat, asking you to lunch (and maybe even paying for it), cooking diner for you, etc. or b) had a slight arrogant attitude about themselves, only talked with you when you called them on the phone, and when you went out spent most of the time talking with his/her friends.

Although this is a blanket statement, most people would find themselves attracted to individual b). The question which should be asked is why. Should person a) be chastised for showing a bit of concern for someone else, rather than just self indulgence? In other words, being nice?

In this light it's been argued that yes, during the short run nice guys do finish last. But in the long run they turn out to be the winners. But if they (the nice guys) continually get shot down in the short term, will there be any left for the long run?

Another area where nice guys finish last is in the job market. If you're competing against individual x for a certain job, the last thing you wish to do is help them acquire the position over yourself. Take this test if you don't believe me.

At a job interview, I'm most likely to say: a) hire me, I'm the best for the job. b) I have a tendency to steal things without knowing it, but I really am I hard worker, or. c) I would be good for the job, but I couldn't stand to know I've prevented others from getting employment. So please, don't hire me as CEO of IBM.

If you answered c) to the above test, then you may consider yourself to be a nice guy. In this case, be prepared to be walked all over andfinish last in life. Answering b) to the question suggests you're a kleptomaniac and should seek direct psychiatric help. Answer a) was probably the one most people would have provided.

There are other example of where nice qualities do not pay off. Professional sports, bartering for various items, buying a house, selecting good and honest friends, etc. The list can go on indefinitely. So what does this mean exactly? Whatever the case, we should take pity on those who possess the gene After all, its not there fault. Besides if we let natural selection run its course, we can assume in a few years they'll all be dead anyways.

This article represents the thoughts of its author, not the Trincoll Journal, nor Trinity College, and not necessarily the reader! This article may be reproduced only with expressed written consent of the Trincoll Journal. Send E-mail to: Journal@mail.trincoll.edu for more information. © 1994, Trincoll Journal.