Upper Class Low On Emotional Intelligence?

Psych Central:

New research discovers upper-class people have trouble reading the emotions of others.

The social deficit presents despite the increased educational opportunities, greater financial security, and better job prospects the well-to-do have over people from lower social classes.

Read the whole story: Psych Central

Comments

[teddyr]

07:27 PM on 12/17/2010

This is such a broad generalization, that it cannot be credible. Do the Rich have money because their family inherited old money. Did they earn the money by inventing a popular and useful item or by being a great singer, actor, writer. Is the poor person lacking in an adequate education; good health, or decent luck Did they lose all their money in a Ponze scheme or the stock market. Too many variables, too many combinations of DNA, and or psychological attributes. How about a bi-polar wealthy aunt that is sometimes nice and sometimes a B---.
How about the millionaire who used to shine shoes, and cannot see himself, or spend as a millionaire?

[bustingbeliefs]

07:53 PM on 12/03/2010

I think there's way more to this than simply being low on emotional intelligence. We all have a particular belief system which is derived from our life experiences. The upper middle class have very different experiences to the lower class but that doesn't make them more or less emotional than the average Joe.

Core beliefs and values change when financial situations change "thats a fact", often for the better and sometimes maybe not... The "rich and poor, upper or lower" often share very similar emotional content except that the rich often fear being seen as weak and believe they would fall prey to scoundrels "false belief". For example, Lotto winners instantly become Upper class folks, they don't exhibit a lack of emotional IQ for years but they do eventually become desensitized to the feelings of their poorer and needy relatives.

Money does change people, so this topic requires further investigation instead of a blog post that basically tells us what and how to think about the Upper Class. I call it packaged intelligence. Reading a topic on the net and believing it without further investigation is common place these days. I personally believe we've lost our ability to think, because the media is telling us what to think and when to think it.

So before you buy into these kinds of articles, THINK. If you can, go talk to the Upper Class first and find out for yourself it its actually true.

Alex Jay,
http://bit.ly/aft7EP

[Perry Clease]

11:18 PM on 11/29/2010

Smithers, release the hounds!

[Lisa Shields]

09:41 AM on 11/29/2010

Two words...Ayn Rand.
Once they get it in their heads that "the rich are different, therefore entitled", why should they bother with empathy?

[Village]

07:11 PM on 11/28/2010

So how do you explain poor Republicans who not only vote against their own best interests, but hate the poor, a class to which they belong, unbeknownst to them.

[freddsky]

12:08 PM on 11/29/2010

So how do you explain poor Republican­s who not only vote against their own best interests, but hate the poor, a class to which they belong, unbeknowns­t to them..... Village 17 hours ago (7:11 PM)


The same way you explain that there is no G.o.d. You don't. Nice people have always known the truth and are content to salt their food with the tears of the ig.no.rant poor. The American Dream must remain exactly that: a pervasive palliative for a socioeconomic nightmare that vexes all but the fortunate. [I stole this bit of tongue in cheek cynicism from Virginia Woolf, who painted it as a kind of sword for bright young things to wield against fervent freethinkers.]

[politicsmatter]

08:27 PM on 11/26/2010

This is something that is just being realized...people aren't paying attention; the wealthy have many amongst their ranks that do not possess morals or a conscience, hence the near global collapse of economic solvency that we are still reeling from.

[JHKH]

06:11 PM on 11/26/2010

I'm not sure this is valid. "Upper" and "Lower" classes defined by educational status? The conclusions are ones that you'd "expect," but I'm not sure the study actually proves the case. I'm not even sure that empathy can be measured.

People who are wealthy don't have to be nice to everybody. People with jobs they rely on to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads need to be nice to everybody if they want to be assured of keeping said job. Part of being nice is recognizing facial/body language of those you work for or serve in the course of your job. Also, workers need to rely on co-workers, so it is definitely adaptive to read the unspoken reactions or emotions of those who tangentially affect your ability to do your job. For the wealthy who don't work for a living, or who are the bosses, this is an optional, and therefore uncultivated, skill set.

[marapem]

09:20 PM on 11/25/2010

Dahhhhh!

[docbets]

05:48 AM on 11/25/2010

You can argue til the cows come home about the term, but the real situation is, They Don't Care About Other People.

[Left of Right]

02:00 AM on 11/25/2010

I'm sure there are many of the "upper class" without a real feel of what is going on day to day outside the world of privilege and instant gratification. I'm sure there are many that do because they care and they give. These are the classy ones and I respect them, not for their money but because they have money and want to use it for a greater good.

Rich does not mean classy, and in fact, can easily bring you lower than the most common criminal. And you don't have to have wealth to be in this low class. Just look down on someone who you think is less than you.

It is not a problem of money, but a sickness we can all so easily share. Even with no money at all.

[RedandGreen]

09:42 PM on 11/24/2010

I regard the term "emotional intelligence" as an oxymoron. Intelligence is logical and objective while emotion is compulsive, impulsive and subjective, the very antithesis of intelligent reasoning.

[freddsky]

05:03 PM on 11/24/2010

Common among wholesalers in the tale of submitting a large bill to "old money" and receiving a "rounded down" payment in return. Unspoken is this message: cough up part of your profit margin or we'll take our substantial business elsewhere.

In America it is never hard to spot the Escalade among the bumper cars.

[KidShalleen]

08:15 AM on 11/26/2010

Might this be the credo of Wal-Mart??? Me thinks, it might be.
They have been known to get purveyors so far on the hook,
that to try to wiggle off would, and could, be suicidal for them.
Put that together with the socially abhorrent way they treat
the majority of their employees, and you have the basis
for their success.

[freddsky]

09:50 PM on 11/26/2010

Good point. Sam Walton's family has gone from salt of the earth to scorched earth in record time. Proving that new money is never too green to learn old money ways. How proud it must feel to leave rural communities in ruins all for the sake of a profit margin. Same for treating workers like cattle, and so on.

[thebigbike]

04:46 PM on 11/24/2010

I sometimes wonder if thaty EQ can also be lost the richer one gets even if one began with little. But then when you're rich you can always get away with sayig: " But the chauffeur always seems glad to see me, and goodness knows I pay the help well enough. Now, Buffy, if it's unpleasant I simply don't want to hear about and that's that." "But, MoooTher all I was going to say is that I totalled the silly Beemer again and I think I 'm going to have James - that is your chauffeur's name isn't it? go eiwth me to do some car shopping. I know if I replace the Beemer I should also get a Pick UP truck because the other guys at St Grottelsex are calling me faggy for driving the beemer."

"Louis, some more tea, and this time I'd LIKE it if it got here still somewhat warm HHMMMmmm?"

[noob1]

02:27 PM on 11/24/2010

who isn't

[littlepuffycloud]

01:52 PM on 11/24/2010

No surprises..Remember when Babs Bush said that some of the people in the dome in NewORleans were probably better off, despite their faces contorted in exhaustion, hunger, anger, frustration, sadness, confusion and every other emotion not associated with happiness.