Eric Barker, author of the popular business success blog bakadesuyo, joins "Salon Talks" to bust some of the popular myths around achievement and career success. Barker uses science and research to uncover why valedictorians rarely become millionaires and why pirates, gang members and serial killers know the most about teamwork and cooperation.

Barker reflected on how personalities on the extremes can affect success. "In the issue of nice guys finish last, it really is about how you balance your time, but it's also the environment you're in," Barker told Salon's Alli Joseph. "Givers do very well or very bad. That's often because if they're in an environment where they get exploited by takers or surrounded by takers giving altruistically doesn't help you." Maintaining an even balance if you're a giver, for example, is key to successfully leaning into your personality at work.