Study: Gadget Early Adopters Are Arrogant Pricks

People who can't wait to buy the latest gadgets show impressive leadership skills but they lack modesty, a new study has found. It looks like buying an iPhone, for instance, might give you tech cred but it also gives you a superiority complex. Digital Journal -- Sorry, early adopters, it looks like you might not be the greatest person to be around. According to a joint study by Internet ad network firm Mindset Media and Nielsen Online, people who nab the latest technology score high points in assertiveness and leadership skills, but rank low in modesty. An arrogant tech fiend? Perish the thought. "If you look at those with qualities of a modern leader, they're often forward-facing and interested in what's next," said lead researcher Sarah Welch. She said it makes sense for early adopters to be aggressive because "when they see something they want or like they go straight for it." The study also found that early adopters tended to lack modesty and may be perceived as arrogant or conceited by others. This hunger for the latest goods is what Welch calls "badge buying," or a tendency to buy luxury items. She said: "There's an element of pride in being able to have the latest and greatest, not just in the realm of technology, but in all other areas." The online study of 25,000 Americans evaluated 20 personality traits, including openness, creativity, self esteem and spontaneity. Participants were rated on a 1 through 5 scale -- 1 were people who showed the least amount of that trait and 5 represented those who demonstrated the most of that trait. Sixty-eight percent of the ones who scored a 5 in leadership were more likely to have purchased three or more computers in the past two years, the study showed. The participants who rated high in assertiveness were 62 per cent more likely to have purchased the latest cellphone on the market. In a previous study, Mindset Media found Mac users to be liberal, open-minded and exhibiting traits of superiority.