Archive · 17 Nov 2025
Popularity's Impact on Workplace Authenticity and Expression
Imagine being at school.
If you're popular, teachers and classmates might be kinder about your mistakes and more willing to listen to your ideas.
The same happens at work!
Being well-liked can make people feel more comfortable being themselves and sharing their thoughts freely, because others tend to trust them more and interpret their actions positively.
However, even popular people can feel tired if they have to always be the 'fun' or 'friendly' one.
On the flip side, people who aren't as popular might feel they have to be extra careful not to make mistakes.
Sometimes, direct communication from them might be misunderstood.
Experts say the best way to be authentic is to be genuinely helpful.
Companies can also help by creating environments where everyone feels safe to be themselves, not just the popular kids, so that great ideas can come from anyone.
Popularity at work can significantly influence how colleagues perceive an employee's actions, expressions, and communication style.
A Columbia Business School study found that widely admired individuals feel more liberated to express themselves in various situations.
Some individuals, like marketing manager Arjun Bhat, consciously cultivated visibility and positive relationships to improve collaboration and ensure their ideas were heard.
Others, like product designer Sana Qureshi, had to actively manage their visibility and relationships to overcome misinterpretations of their direct communication style.
Psychologists advise that genuine helpfulness and authenticity are more valuable than superficial charm or favoritism, while also noting the performative cost of popularity and the need for inclusive work environments.
- Who
- Employees like Kriti Narang, Arjun Bhat, and Sana Qureshi, and psychologists Mitch Prinstein and Meera Sinha.
- What
- The influence of popularity on workplace authenticity, expression, and how colleagues perceive actions and communication.
- When
- Recent research published this year, and experienced throughout employees' careers.
- Where
- Workplaces in India and the US.
- Why
- To understand how social status and popularity impact an individual's freedom to be authentic and how their contributions are received.
Authenticity for the Popular
Authenticity for the Less Popular
Perceived Trustworthiness and Interpretation of Actions
Authenticity for the Popular
Well-liked individuals benefit from perceived trustworthiness, which influences how their actions and expressions are kindly interpreted, with less doubt cast on their commitment or sincerity.
Authenticity for the Less Popular
Less popular individuals may face more scrutiny, and their actions or direct communication styles can be misinterpreted as arrogant or rude, requiring them to manage their visibility and relationships carefully to be heard and authentic.
Freedom of Expression and Margin for Error
Authenticity for the Popular
Popularity grants a sense of comfort and freedom to express oneself more broadly across different settings, with occasional delays or less-than-perfect contributions seen as exceptions.
Authenticity for the Less Popular
Those who are not particularly popular often feel a greater pressure to prove competence and avoid missteps, experiencing a smaller margin for error where authenticity can feel riskier.
- Study Source
- Columbia Business School
- Study Authors
- Erica R. Bailey, James T. Carter, Adam Galinsky, Sheena Iyengar
- Key Finding
- Widely admired individuals feel freer to express themselves across settings.
- Psychologist's Advice
- Focus on being genuinely helpful and authentic, rather than faking charm or currying favor.
- Performative Cost of Popularity
- Popular individuals may face emotional fatigue from the unspoken expectation to constantly perform their approachable persona.