✨ New research published in Frontiers in Psychology suggests some women use kindness and generosity strategically to gain an advantage over rivals, linking this behavior to manipulative personality traits and lower agreeableness.

✨ Led by Maryanne Fisher at Saint Mary’s University, the study developed the "Competitive Altruism Survey" and found a positive association between strategic kindness and Machiavellianism, while it was negatively associated with agreeableness in 103 heterosexual cisgender women aged 18-45.

✨ The average score for competitive altruism was 2.51 (on a scale of 1-5), with slightly higher levels directed towards other women (2.58) than men (2.43), aligning with the idea of women's rivalry occurring within female peer groups.

✨ Key findings suggest kindness and competition are not always opposites, and while this strategic kindness is not common to all women, further studies are needed to determine its effectiveness and if similar patterns exist in men.

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