It’s easier to be yourself at work when you’re popular

Being yourself is not always an easy task—especially at work. But new research finds the ability to do so comes easier to some than to others, for a surprising reason. The ability to be authentic on the job also has a great deal to do with how well-liked you are.

In a series of studies involving thousands of participants, social psychologists at Columbia Business School found that social status (defined as how well liked someone is) is deeply important when it comes to being yourself. “Our findings suggest that social status may be as important as self-esteem in increasing authenticity, which is surprising,” said Erica R. Bailey, a Ph.D. student who worked on the studies, said.

Dr. James T. Carter, another one of the researchers and an assistant professor of organizational behavior at Co