Middle-Aged Men Are the Biggest A-Holes, Says Study That Gives Us Something to Look Forward To

Thank goodness for science. It reveals mysteries of the universe and, sometimes, confirms what we already know…like new research stating that middle-aged men are the biggest A-holes.

Yes, there was actually a study done at the University of Georgia on this very topic. And the results were astounding. Researchers asked almost 400 people were asked who was the most aggressive, entitled, and manipulative person they knew. Overwhelmingly, the respondents named men with an average age of 42.71 years. The assholes in question spanned the gamut, from bosses and co-workers to friends or romantic partners. If the relationship was defunct, people were more likely to identify their ex-whatevers as assholes.

What makes an asshole an asshole? Well, to be scientific about it, these disagreeable folk were generally described as devoid of empathy, lacking modesty, and being uncooperative. But wait! That’s not all! Assholes were also identified as anti-maskers, Trumpers, alcoholics, eye-rollers, and animal or child abusers. (Real gems, clearly.)

Some of these traits you may recognize as also being similar to people with psychopathic, antisocial and narcissistic personality disorders, though the researchers were quick to point out that just because someone is an asshole doesn’t mean they’re a diagnosable asshole.

Unsurprisingly, participants had little trouble pinpointing the biggest assholes in their lives.

“On average, participants didn’t think that they were very close to these individuals, which makes sense because these people are being described as having pretty aversive behaviors,” lead study author Brinkley Sharpe said in a press release. “When we talk about behaviors, the asshole was not necessarily being antagonistic toward people, but they just didn’t really care about what others were thinking or how they were perceived by others.”

The disappointing part of the study is that most participants had little hope their identified asshole will ever change. Once an asshole, always an asshole?

Cover Photo: RapidEye (Getty Images)