School bullies end up earning more money in middle age, study finds

They were also more likely to have higher job satisfaction

Researchers from the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex used data about almost 7,000 people born in 1970 whose lives have been tracked by the British Cohort Study. 

The team looked at data from primary school teachers who assessed the children’s social and emotional skills when they were 10 years old.

They then matched this to their lives in 2016, when they were 46.

The study found that those who had displayed aggressive behaviour at school, such as bullying or anger outbursts, earned more money in middle age and were more likely to have higher job satisfaction and be in more desirable jobs.

The team found that "conduct problems, driven by aggression and impulsivity, are associated with positive outcomes in the labour market: higher wages, higher labour supply, sorting into ‘good’ jobs and higher productivity conditional on job tasks."

Prof Emilia Del Bono, one of the study’s authors, told the Guardian: “We found that those children who teachers felt had problems with attention, peer relationships and emotional instability did end up earning less in the future, as we expected, but 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 best paid jobs. Perhaps we need to reconsider discipline in schools and help to channel this characteristic in children in a more positive way.”

The researchers analysed primary school teachers' answers to more than 60 questions about the children's behaviour.

The study found that children who had more conduct problems had an increase in earnings of nearly 4 per cent by the age of 46.

These children also tended to be more sociable as teenagers, and were more likely to smoke and be arrested in their lives.

Del Bono said that the findings suggest parents should encourage children to "stand their ground, rather than being aggressive."