I think the asshole behavior as expressed by the author (i.e. <i>rude, dismissive, passive aggressive or even outright hostile</i> behavior) is not the source of the benefits but are often seen together.<p>&quot;Assholes&quot; don&#x27;t care what other people think and they don&#x27;t seek validation from them. As a corollary they don&#x27;t tone down their opinions nor do they mind confrontation. Since they express their opinions with confidence, they seem smarter.<p>Assholes can take advantage of people, since most people want to please others to some degree. There are also people who don&#x27;t try please people, but don&#x27;t engage in the anti-social behavior assholes do. It&#x27;s not the Nice vs the Assholes.<p>In my opinion too much niceness can be a hindrance. Taking delicate care that you express your opinions in a way that doesn&#x27;t upset or offend anybody is great for that warm good-feel between everybody but doesn&#x27;t pave the way for real progress. People should learn to take harsh critique and not let it affect them too much personally. Likewise they should learn to give straight-up, even harsh critique.