High cognitive ability is widely considered an undeniable professional asset. Yet for women, displaying exceptional intellect in team settings may come with an unexpected cost: being perceived as more hostile by colleagues and experiencing greater workplace mistreatment.

A multi-study investigation published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that women with high cognitive test scores were more likely to be perceived as hostile by their teammates.

Consequently, these women reported experiencing more workplace victimisation and receiving less task-related and emotional support from peers.

Men with equally high intelligence scores faced no such penalties. In corporate environments, highly intelligent men were viewed as less hostile and enjoyed significantly better treatment from colleagues.

Cognitive Ability Can Backfire for Female Professionals

Researchers led by Dr Nitya Chawla of the University of Minnesota evaluated 826 individuals across 140 work groups. The team analysed 432 US university students completing team consulting projects alongside 394 employees at a financial firm in China.

The authors drew upon social role theory to explain why cognitive ability can backfire for female professionals. Society holds unwritten expectations that women should exhibit communal traits, such as warmth, kindness and attentiveness to others.

When women demonstrate high competence, colleagues may unconsciously assume they lack communal qualities. This psychological reaction, termed the implied communality deficit, leads peers to perceive sharp intellect not merely as an absence of warmth, but as active hostility.

Highly Intelligent Women Report More Workplace Mistreatment

These skewed peer perceptions were associated with poorer day-to-day work experiences for women. Those with higher cognitive test scores reported greater workplace victimisation, including subtle actions such as colleagues withholding critical project information.

These women also received substantially less help from teammates with routine assignments and emotional challenges. Dr Chawla addressed this dynamic in an interview with PsyPost.

'We tend to think of intelligence as an inherently positive attribute in the workplace,' Chawla stated.

'One of the central takeaways is that being perceived as intelligent doesn't necessarily translate into being treated well at work, particularly for women.'

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A Double Standard Across Genders

The corporate data from China highlighted a pronounced double standard between male and female employees. Highly intelligent women faced a double bind, being rated by colleagues as both less communal and more hostile.

For male employees, higher cognitive ability predicted the opposite outcome. Coworkers viewed highly intelligent men as less hostile, which was associated with reduced victimisation and increased peer support.

The researchers controlled for participants' individual emotional traits, including baseline tendencies towards anger, paranoia and domineering conduct. The statistical penalty persisted regardless of these traits, suggesting that colleagues' assumptions played a role in the mistreatment.

Rethinking Everyday Equality in the Workplace

Dr Chawla stressed that the findings reflect workplace stereotypes rather than the actual demeanour of intelligent women.

'Our findings should not be interpreted as suggesting that highly intelligent women are inherently less warm, supportive, or collaborative,' Chawla explained to PsyPost.

Instead, subtle daily exclusions can accumulate over time and harm career trajectories. 'Being excluded from a conversation or not receiving help from a colleague might seem relatively inconsequential in isolation,' Chawla noted.

'Who receives help? Who is included? Who is treated as a valued colleague?'

The researchers urged companies to look beyond formal hiring metrics and examine how gender biases subtly warp daily interpersonal dynamics on teams.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • How does high cognitive ability affect women in the workplace?
    Women with high cognitive ability may be perceived as more hostile and experience greater workplace mistreatment compared to their male counterparts.
  • What is the implied communality deficit?
    It is a psychological reaction where colleagues perceive women with high competence as lacking communal qualities, leading to perceptions of hostility.
  • How do perceptions of intelligence differ between men and women in the workplace?
    Highly intelligent men are often viewed as less hostile and receive better treatment, while highly intelligent women may be perceived as more hostile and face more mistreatment.
  • What can companies do to address gender biases in the workplace?
    Companies should examine how gender biases affect daily interpersonal dynamics and look beyond formal hiring metrics to promote equality.