• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

IZA Newsroom

IZA – Institute of Labor Economics

  • Home
  • Archive
  • Press Lounge
  • DE
  • EN
ResearchMarch 28, 2014

In the gym and on the job: creatine makes successful

It is widely used among tennis players, ski jumpers and bodybuilders as a dietary supplement: Creatine, an organic acid that supplies muscles and the brain with energy very effectively. But maybe it does not only enhance the performance in the gym or on the tennis court, but also on the labor market.

This is what a new IZA discussion paper by Petri Böckermann, Alex Bryson, Jutta Viinikainen, Christian Hakulinen, Laura Pulkki-Raback and Olli Raitakari suggests. They investigated the influence of the quantity of creatinine in the urine of over 3500 Finnish children on their success on the labor market later in life. The measurements were conducted in 1980, when the performance-improving effect of creatine was not yet known.

The researchers show that a higher level of creatinine is correlated with a higher income and more working years. Ten percent more creatinine in the urine of the Finnish boys and girls made them earn 1.5 percent more on average as grown-ups. This amounts to roughly 240 extra euros per year. However, since educational outcomes remain unaffected, creatine obviously influences labor market performance through other channels.

According to the authors, the positive effect may be related to particular personality traits. People with high levels of creatine often fulfill their tasks with more perseverance and commitment. They are also said to be more conscientious and extrovert, which might improve their performance on the job.

Since the researchers only looked at endogenous creatine levels, it remains an open question whether taking creatine supplements would also improve one’s career prospects.

IZA Discussion Paper No. 8029 Biomarkers and Long-term Labour Market Outcomes: The Case of Creatine Petri Böckerman, Alex Bryson, Jutta Viinikainen, Christian Hakulinen, Laura Pulkki-Raback, Olli Raitakari

Share this article

Share on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share via e-mail
  • Biomarker
  • Creatine
  • labor market
  • youth
  • Alex Bryson
  • Christian Hakulinen
  • Jutta Viinikainen
  • Laura Pulkki-Raback
  • Olli Raitakari
  • Petri Böckerman
Previous Post
Shuffle
Next Post

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • June 4, 2025

    How workplaces shape the economic impact of caregiving shocks on mothers
  • June 2, 2025

    How administrative data fosters young economists’ careers
  • May 30, 2025

    Raising the glass raises risks for the whole family

Related Content

  • December 6, 2016

    “Jobs for Development”: How job creation can drive progress and what policies can support this process
  • December 21, 2024

    High returns to making job applications easier
  • December 19, 2019

    Are women more willing to accept jobs with lower pay?
  • 
  • 
  • Archive
  • 
  • Research
  • 
  • In the gym and on the job: creatine makes successful

© 2013–2025 Deutsche Post STIFTUNGImprint | Privacy PolicyIZA