Perfectionists are like people trying to make the perfect cup of coffee. They grind, they brew, they measure to the milligram… and then spill it on their shirt. Trying hard is energizing. Trying to be flawless is just chaos with a bitter aftertaste.
Mention the “biggest weakness” question to a recruiter and you can see them die a little inside. “Perfectionism” always shows up first, holding hands with “workaholic” like they’re posing for a cringey selfie. Translation: Hope you like projects that take three extra weeks so the bullet points can be perfectly aligned.
We analyzed 1,206 people with different levels of perfectionism: Extreme Perfectionists, Moderate Perfectionists, and Low Perfectionists. Our study results revealed that while the determined efforts of Extreme and Moderate Perfectionists do pay off sometimes, Low Perfectionists are happier and better adjusted overall. In fact, outside of academics, perfectionists managed to come in dead last on nearly every other measure of success.
Here are some highlights from the study:
In terms of academic performance:
- 30% of Extreme Perfectionists had top grades in school, 42% had good grades (mix of A and B grades), and 28% had average grades.
- 27% of Moderate Perfectionists had top grades in school, 44% had good grades (mix of A and B grades), and 30% had average grades.
- 21% of Low Perfectionists had top grades in school, 39% had good grades (mix of A and B grades), and 40% had average grades.
In terms of work performance:
- 43% of Extreme Perfectionists had a good work performance rating, 43% were satisfactory, and 13% were below average.
- 44% of Moderate Perfectionists had a good work performance rating, 47% were satisfactory, and 9% were below average.
51% of Low Perfectionists had a good performance rating, 44% were satisfactory, and 5% were below average.
When dealing with setbacks:
- 92% of Extreme Perfectionists are hard on themselves when they fail, compared to 77% of Moderate Perfectionists and 39% of Low Perfectionists.
When reacting to time limits:
- 67% of Extreme Perfectionists have missed a deadline at work because they felt a project wasn’t perfect enough to hand in, compared to 53% of Moderate Perfectionists and 46% of Low Perfectionists.
Working hard and doing your best is great—nobody’s saying effort is pointless. Perfectionists often do crank out polished work, but the price is pretty high—stress, delay, and burnout. Low perfectionists may not always snag the gold star, but they bounce back from mistakes, don’t obsess over failure, and don’t tie their self-worth to being “the best.” That’s why they’re usually happier and more confident.
Bottom line: in most workplaces, “good and on time” beats “perfect but delivered a week late.”
If you’re interested in using tests for hiring, check out our test catalog.
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