PsycHacks Episode 615: Disagreeable women (the duty to follow)
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Apr 20, 2026 A look at rising disagreeableness in women and how that trait shifts from asset to liability depending on role. A captain versus passenger metaphor explores when toughness is needed for leadership and when it undermines followership. Practical choices are discussed: temper criticism to thrive as a follower or develop leadership skills and take the helm.
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Host's Personal Encounters With Disagreeable Women
- Orion Taraban has dated several disagreeable women who knowingly treated disagreeableness as a selling point.
- These women saw themselves as giving 'tough love' feedback and often viewed agreeable people with thinly veiled contempt.
Why Disagreeableness Helps Leaders Protect The Ship
- Disagreeableness is an asset for leaders (captains) because they must make tough decisions and resist short-term pressures.
- Taraban compares leaders to CEOs who must frustrate employee short-term wants to sustain the organization long-term.
Leaders Must Frustrate Short Term Wants
- Captains set itinerary and must sometimes override passengers' short-term preferences to avoid unsustainable outcomes.
- The CEO example: satisfying employees' immediate wants (more pay, less work) would collapse the company if not managed by a disagreeable leader.
