Big frog in a small pond, or the other way around? It's all to do with your upbringing
![Graduated students of Hong Kong Polytechnic University have their pictures taken in front of a wall with messages of support for the pro-democracy movement in the part of Hong Kong's financial central district protesters are occupying October 31, 2014. The former British colony of Hong Kong, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, has witnessed a month of protests calling on the Beijing-backed government to keep its promise of introducing universal suffrage. The protests have for the most part been peaceful, with occasional clashes between the student-led protesters and Beijing supporters seeking to move them from the streets. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj (CHINA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST BUSINESS) - RTR4CA2R](https://assets.weforum.org/article/image/large_RjuOMlzHi9PDA0L-I4FO1ncFiOth1Sy1gFELt3NfUOQ.jpg)
A recent study has found that Americans are more likely than Chinese to choose to be the “big frog in a small pond”. Image: REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
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Whether someone would rather be a “big frog in a small pond” or a “small frog in a big pond” may depend on their cultural upbringing, new research suggests.
In a series of studies, researchers asked more than 600 adults from the United States and China about their preferences regarding education and work. Would they prefer to be a star student in a top 100 school or a mediocre student in a more prestigious top 10 school? What about a job at a global top 10 firm in which they would flounder or a top 100 company in which they would stand out?
The study shows that Americans are more likely than Chinese to choose to be the “big frog in a small pond” than the “small frog in a big pond” compared to Chinese.
Chinese were significantly more likely (58 percent) than European Americans (29 percent) to choose the top 10 college, despite being below-average on academic performance among peers. In business, Chinese (27 percent) more often opted to be in a global top 10 company than European Americans (14 percent).
“Although both cultures may realize the advantages of being the big frog in a small pond, the greater shift toward choosing the big pond was motivated by what felt culturally appropriate,” says Kaidi Wu, a doctoral student in social psychology at the University of Michigan and the study’s lead author.
The researchers did not imply that Chinese do not want to be the big frog in a small pond.
“Rather, there is not one ‘right’ way of choosing or a universal solution to making a decision,” Wu says.
The findings appear in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.
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