The Guilt-Prone Can Hold Back the Team

The New York Times:

Do you constantly feel guilty? Here’s some good news: Research has found that guilt-prone people make excellent colleagues and leaders because they contribute more than their fair share, and they don’t free-ride on others’ contributions.

But there’s a catch, of course: Guilt-ridden workers are so afraid of letting people down that they’re reluctant to take on challenging assignments with others, a new study finds. In the process, they may hinder not only their own advancement, but also that of colleagues and their organization.

There. Don’t you feel guilty now?

The research was conducted by two assistant business professors, Scott S. Wiltermuth of the University of Southern California, and Taya R. Cohen of Carnegie Mellon. They defined guilt-proneness as “the tendency to feel guilty about committing transgressions, even if those transgressions are not observed by other people,” according to a paper in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. “People who are high in guilt-proneness are more likely to take others’ perspectives into account and feel empathy toward others,” the researchers said.

Read the whole story: The New York Times