# Study Shows Rich People Are Greedy and Lack Compassion **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 10, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417 "2012-04-10T23:14:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/1 "2012-04-10T23:14:02Z")
In one more iteration of the relentless meme that reality has a strong liberal bias,[a study published in Scientific American](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-wealth-reduces-compassion) demonstrates that wealthy people are more likely to be greedy, lack compassion and steal from others. The study, conducted by Berkeley psychologists Paul Piff and Dacher Keltner, used several different testing methods to come to these conclusions. In one test they hung out at busy traffic intersections and noted what kind of vehicles were being driven by people who cut others off at intersections. They found that luxury car drivers were more likely to cut off other motorists instead of waiting for their turn at the intersection. They controlled for a variety of other factors when they made these observations. In a different study they found that luxury car drivers were also more likely to speed past a pedestrian trying to use a crosswalk, even after making eye contact with the pedestrian. In another test, subjects were divided into two groups. One group was instructed to think about how much better off they were than others, another to think how much worse off they were than others. At the end of the test, members of both groups were shown a jar of candy and told they could take as much of it as they liked, and that the rest would be given to children in antoher lab. Guess who took the most candy? The ones who thought about how much better off they were than others. There was another test too, but read the damn article if you’re interested. Fact is, rich people are just less likely to give a damn about the rest of us. Explains a lot that has been happening in politics and the economy over the last couple of decades, doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/2 "2012-04-10T23:20:27Z")
In other news, bears shit in woods, Pope suspected of Catholocism. I am a little surprised that the really poor crowd didn’t show up as grasping too, though; they have reason to be that way. I’ll just assume that there were sampling flaws that missed that part. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/3 "2012-04-10T23:21:02Z")
So… What’s the point? Should we rob rich people so that they’re nicer? Should we stop striving to succeed? No? Then what’s your point? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/4 "2012-04-10T23:38:52Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > So… What’s the point? Should we rob rich people so that they’re nicer? We can stop pretending that they are morally superior and automatically deserve respect because of the size of their back account. And taxing away most of their money and re-investing it in the economy _would_ be a good idea, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/5 "2012-04-10T23:39:25Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > So… What’s the point? Should we rob rich people so that they’re nicer? Should we stop striving to succeed? No? Then what’s your point? It’s a concern because wealthy people wield a lot of power in this country. They run the companies we work for and they have a great deal of political influence. If they’re greedy and lack compassion, how does that bode well for the rest of us who work under them? ---
**Author:** ![Crab\_Rangoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Crab\_Rangoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crab_Rangoon)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/6 "2012-04-10T23:41:13Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > We can stop pretending that they are morally superior and automatically deserve respect because of the size of their back account. And taxing away most of their money and re-investing it in the economy _would_ be a good idea, yes. I second this suggestion. ---
**Author:** ![HoboStew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@HoboStew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoboStew)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/7 "2012-04-10T23:44:07Z")
Or maybe, greedy people who lack compassion have a better chance of getting rich. Put me in the “So what?” camp. I don’t think this justifies any specific change in public policy. We want to tax them more because it makes financial sense, not because they are bad, mean people who cut off my grandmother in traffic. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/8 "2012-04-10T23:47:30Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > In one more iteration of the relentless meme that reality has a strong liberal bias,[a study published in Scientific American](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-wealth-reduces-compassion) demonstrates that wealthy people are more likely to be greedy, lack compassion and steal from others. I think you’ve got it ass-backwards: people who are greedy, lack compassion and steal from others are more likely to be wealthy. And that just makes the observation trivial. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/9 "2012-04-10T23:51:34Z")
I saw that “people in shiny cars aren’t nice to pedestrians”, and my first thought was that this was likely due to another underlying factor. Specifically, drivers who are also pedestrians on a regular basis are more likely to be nice to other pedestrians. Poor people have to walk or take public transit more frequently. People who choose to walk or take public transit are less likely to spend serious money on a car they only drive on weekends. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/10 "2012-04-10T23:54:48Z")
How many studies found a different conclusion? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/11 "2012-04-11T00:30:17Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > We can stop pretending that they are morally superior and automatically deserve respect because of the size of their back account. And taxing away most of their money and re-investing it in the economy _would_ be a good idea, yes. Ah, I see. So basically, anyone who makes more money than you doesn’t deserve to make more money than you and is clearly an asshole, therefore that money should be taken away. Brilliant! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/12 "2012-04-11T00:33:39Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Ah, I see. So basically, anyone who makes more money than you doesn’t deserve to make more money than you and is clearly an asshole, therefore that money should be taken away. Brilliant! No, that isn’t the point, but let me try to make it even simpler for you: Rich people as a whole aren’t better than poor people, and in some ways they are worse. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/13 "2012-04-11T00:39:36Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > No, that isn’t the point, but let me try to make it even simpler for you: Rich people as a whole aren’t better than poor people, and in some ways they are worse. And it’s unhealthy for the wealth of society to be concentrated in fewer and fewer hands, especially when they are unethical ones; so yes, it’s good to distribute the wealth some. ---
**Author:** ![heatmiserfl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df705f/32.png) [@heatmiserfl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heatmiserfl)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/14 "2012-04-11T00:53:48Z")
The paper wasn’t published in Scientific America. It was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Also, this was not just one study. Several studies (both field and laboratory observation) were performed. The abstract summarizes a wide variety of bad behavior: > [@](#): > > Seven studies using experimental and naturalistic methods reveal that upper-class individuals behave more unethically than lower-class individuals. In studies 1 and 2, upper-class individuals were more likely to break the law while driving, relative to lower-class individuals. In follow-up laboratory studies, upper-class individuals were more likely to exhibit unethical decision-making tendencies (study 3), take valued goods from others (study 4), lie in a negotiation (study 5), cheat to increase their chances of winning a prize (study 6), and endorse unethical behavior at work (study 7) than were lower-class individuals. Mediator and moderator data demonstrated that upper-class individuals’ unethical tendencies are accounted for, in part, by their more favorable attitudes toward greed. [http://www.pnas.org/content/109/11/4086.short](http://www.pnas.org/content/109/11/4086.short) Other related studies on a lack of empathy in upper class and/or powerful individuals. (Although one explanation is that upper class people may not recognize certain distress signals?) > **[Lower classes quicker to show compassion in the face of suffering](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111220102636.htm)** > > Emotional differences between the rich and poor, as depicted in such Charles Dickens classics as "A Christmas Carol" and "A Tale of Two Cities," may have a scientific basis. Researchers have found that people in the lower socio-economic classes are... > **[Upper-class people have trouble recognizing others' emotions](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101122172008.htm)** > > Upper-class people have more educational opportunities, greater financial security, and better job prospects than people from lower social classes, but that doesn't mean they're more skilled at everything. A new study finds surprisingly, that... > **[Are Power And Compassion Mutually Exclusive?](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217124154.htm)** > > A new study reveals that individuals with a higher sense of power experience less compassion and distress when confronted with another's suffering, compared to low-power individuals. In addition, powerful people were not motivated to establish a... ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/15 "2012-04-11T00:55:27Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > No, that isn’t the point, but let me try to make it even simpler for you: Rich people as a whole aren’t better than poor people, and in some ways they are worse. Agreed. > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > And it’s unhealthy for the wealth of society to be concentrated in fewer and fewer hands, especially when they are unethical ones; so yes, it’s good to distribute the wealth some. Agreed. > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > And taxing away most of their money and re-investing it in the economy _would_ be a good idea, yes. Disagreed. > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > And taxing away \*\*most \*\*of their money See? There’s a big difference between THAT and what you said in your later post. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/16 "2012-04-11T00:57:46Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Agreed. > > Agreed. > > Disagreed. > > See? There’s a big difference between THAT and what you said in your later post. How about we just tax them so that their personal income cannot rise above a certain percentage of the country’s worth? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/17 "2012-04-11T02:16:02Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > See? There’s a big difference between THAT and what you said in your later post. :dubious: No there isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/18 "2012-04-11T03:22:33Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > :dubious: No there isn’t. > [@](#): > > And it’s unhealthy for the wealth of society to be concentrated in fewer and fewer hands Agreed > [@](#): > > especially when they are unethical ones; Agreed > [@](#): > > so yes, it’s good to distribute the wealth **some.** Agreed. > [@](#): > > And taxing away **most** of their money Disagreed. So we agree on the concept, but disagree on the extent to which it should be practiced. Capisci? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/19 "2012-04-11T03:27:45Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > So… What’s the point? Should we rob rich people so that they’re nicer? Should we stop striving to succeed? No? Then what’s your point? My point is that when people propose programs that help the rich like not taxing them so much, we should think hard about the source and the likely motivation, whatever the declared motivation might be. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417/20 "2012-04-11T03:28:00Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > Explains a lot that has been happening in politics and the economy over the last couple of decades, doesn’t it? The last several millennia, I would say. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-shows-rich-people-are-greedy-and-lack-compassion/618417.md?page=2)