There's a Surprising Upside to Imposter Syndrome, Research Shows

Imposter syndrome is a feeling of doubt about our skills and intelligence, and a feeling that we will get exposed as frauds at any moment. New research has found a positive angle on the condition.

According to an analysis of 3,603 employees, people with imposter syndrome are more likely to be good team players with strong social skills in the workplace.

The research shows that attractive attributes are recognized by bosses. There is something about the feeling of being inadequate that makes people try harder with their clients and colleagues.

Basima Tewfik, a behavioral psychologist from MIT, says that people who have workplace impostor thoughts become more other-oriented.

As they become more other oriented, they get evaluated as being higher in effectiveness.

The research shows that productivity in the office does not suffer because of this upside in interpersonal skills. In one group of employees at an investment firm, those with more imposter-type thoughts were rated as more effective in colleague interactions, with no negative impact on work rate.

Interviewing people in a physician training program is part of the research. Those who said they had thoughts like imposter syndrome more often were also those who had better relationships with patients.

Patient ratings for those who felt like they were not real ranked these physicians as being better at listening and getting information from patients.

Tewfik doesn't want to downplay the damage that imposter syndrome can do to mental health, but based on these results, workplace imposter thoughts seem to lead to compensatory mechanisms.

The new study shows that the condition can lower peoples' self-esteem, so it's not as if managers should suddenly encourage these feelings of being a fraud.

I found a positive net outcome, but there might be scenarios where you don't find that.

The data gathered by Tewfik shows that imposter syndrome thoughts are not always permanent. Some people can become less concerned about getting found out as they become more established in their positions.

Imposter syndrome was first identified by psychologists in 1978. It was noted from the beginning that those with this sense of intellectual phoniness had high levels of social skills.

Tewfik suggests that the nature of what counts as workplace-related imposter thoughts may need to be reconsidered. The studies will look at how imposter syndrome might relate to other areas of work.

Tewfik doesn't want people to take away the idea that people with fake thoughts are more effective.

The research has been published.