Playground bullies ‘earn more and enjoy high-f lying careers’

WHILE it might be hoped that playground bullies go on to lead sad, lonely lives, the opposite appears to be the case.

Research suggests that children who were aggressive at school tended to take up highflying and highly paid careers, while those deemed more socially awkward or emotionally fragile went on to earn less.

The finding by the University of Essex is based on the outcomes from a study of almost 7,000 people born in 1970 whose lives have been tracked by the British Cohort Study. Researchers examined data from primary school teachers who assessed the children’s social and emotional skills when they were aged ten in 1980, and matched it to their lives at the age of 46 in 2016.

Report author Professor Emilia Del Bono said: ‘We were surprised to find a strong link between aggressive behaviour at school and higher earnings in later life.

‘It’s possible that our classrooms are competitive places and that children adapt to win that competition with aggression, and then take that through to the workplace where they continue to compete aggressively for the bestpaid jobs.’

She warned parents should not take the message that bullying is good, and that the findings highlight the need to help children who become victims in the playground to ensure they go on to fulfil their potential. ‘I suppose [it means] encouraging your child to stand their ground, rather than be aggressive,’ she said.

The research team found that behaviour problems in children – such as temper outbursts, bullying or teasing others – was associated with an increase in earnings of nearly 4 per cent when measured in 2016.

This compared to a 6 per cent higher wage for those with higher cognition skills who did best in tests at school.

Those considered to have attention problems, such as failing to finish tasks and emotional problems – like being worried, anxious or fussy – went on to earn less.

Further evidence showed that, by the age 16, children who had behaviour problems were more sociable as teenagers.

However, they were also more likely to have smoked and been arrested.

‘They win with aggression’