Who attains social status? Effects of personality and physical attractiveness in social groups

One of the must important goals and outcomes of social life is to attain st atus in the groups to which we belong. Such face-to-face status is defined by the amount of respect, influence, and prominence each member enjoys in t he eyes of the others. Three studies investigated personological determinan ts of status in social groups (fraternity, sorority, and dormitory), relati ng the Big Five personality traits and physical attractiveness to peer rati ngs of status. High Extraversion substantially predicted elevated status fo r both sexes. High Neuroticism, incompatible with male gender norms, predic ted lower status in men. None of the other Big Five traits predicted status . These effects were independent of attractiveness, which predicted higher status only in men. Contrary to previous claims, women's status ordering wa s just as stable as men's but emerged later. Discussion focuses on personol ogical pathways to attaining status and on potential mediators.