Rich People More Likely To Take Candy From Children: Real Report

A crying child.

People with a few extra bucks just aren't as nice as the rest of us, at least according to a new study.

Rich people are more likely to take candy from children, lie, cheat, endorse unethical behavior at work, and cut off pedestrians while driving, a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found.

The report contradicts the notion that poor people are more likely to act unethically out of financial necessity. Instead, the researchers wrote the "relative independence" and "increased privacy" of the wealthy make them more likely to act unethically. They also share "feelings of entitlement and inattention to the consequences of one's actions on others" that may play into their moral decisions.

In one experiment, wealthier people took twice as many candies as poorer people from a jar that had been designated for children. In another study, nearly half of all drivers of expensive cars cut off pedestrians at crosswalks, while no drivers of the cheapest cars and about 30 percent of drivers of cheaper cars did the same thing.

Some of the other experiments indicated that the the rich were more likely to cheat in a game and lie to a potential job applicant about the possibility that their job was being eliminated than their poorer counterparts.

The study adds to a growing body of evidence that indicates that the rich tend to be less sensitive than others. The mere mention of money makes people less generous, less helpful and less likely to look for teammates, according to research by Kathleen Vohs, a marketing professor at the University of Minnesota, cited by The Boston Globe.

In addition, a study by Adam Waytz and Nicholas Epley, professors at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago, respectively, found that people with more social connections are more likely to dehumanize others. And a report from researchers at the University of California-Berkeley released in December came to a similar conclusion: That rich people are less likely to feel empathy.

Comments

[Jarrod Reid]

09:46 AM on 03/01/2012

I was hoping against hope that this was an Onion article. I guess we really shouldn't be surprised and there will be apologists for this bad behavior. Phrases like: "This is how the world works" and "That's the AMERICAN WAY!" and "You are just stirring up class envy!"
Well, I may never be in the 1% - but I know how to treat my fellow human beings. I know right from wrong and these people - and their parents - should be embarrassed.

[ActaNonVerbaNow]

06:55 PM on 02/29/2012

I say with these class issues, let's follow the wisdom of those people that prefer we don't talk about racism. Or sexism. Or homophobia. Because, you know, if you don't talk abut something that means it doesn't exist. Kinda like the "LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE !!" kid, I say,"LEAVE RICH PEOPLE ALONE !!!"

[ActaNonVerbaNow]

06:28 PM on 02/29/2012

For anyone that likes to get in depth when they hear about study results, at least as of right now, the actual study itself is viewable here: http://redaccion.nexos.com.mx/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/1118373109.full_.pd

[ActaNonVerbaNow]

06:35 PM on 02/29/2012

Sorry. I left off the little "f" at the end. Study is here: http://redaccion.nexos.com.mx/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/1118373109.full_.pdf

[BMcCue7]

09:02 AM on 03/01/2012

I'm reading it now, thanks.

[QueenofSpleen]

06:05 PM on 02/29/2012

Here's an anecdote that sums up the arrogance, entitlement and self-regard of today's super-rich. especially those in the financial and/or legal sectors: Several years ago, my husband and a colleague were in NYC meeting with representatives of Morgan Stanley regarding the upcoming IPO for their company. It was winter, it was freezing out, then it began to sleet. A higher-up at MS left the meeting first. When my husband and his colleague went to leave, his colleague's coat was nowhere to be found. It was finally tracked down to the guy from MS WHO HAD TAKEN IT. Here's what he said when asked about it: "Yeah, I took it. I needed it." Nice apology, huh?

[ActaNonVerbaNow]

06:36 PM on 02/29/2012

Can I get it from you next time I need it Mr. Gecko?

[campcranston]

04:16 PM on 02/29/2012

Well obviously they didn't get rich from being generous.

[mallen1971]

03:42 PM on 02/29/2012

"Starving People More Likely to Eat Kittens and Puppies"

"Unemployed Less Likely to Go to Work Every Day"

"Short People Less Likely to Bump Head on Door Frame"

"Deaf People Most Likely to Not Hear You Coming"

"Poor People More Likely to Need More Money"

No point to this post, just auditioning for a job on HuffPo.

[ActaNonVerbaNow]

03:23 PM on 02/29/2012

I served in the Marines in my youth. In the Marines, officers(obviously) make more and have more authority. But, there is a flip-side. They are expected to always take care of their men (and women) before themselves. So, a GOOD officer should be the first to show up and the last to leave. When in the field environment, officers are expected to let their troops go through the chow line first as a way of setting an example and ensuring they are appropriately fed. Well, the first job I got after the Marines was in a Catholic hospital. This hospital had a restaurant inside (not just the cafeteria, a cafeteria AND an actual restaurant) They restaurant used to gave out free baked goods to executives, doctors and people like me (good paying job). But, they didn't give away any free food to other employees. When I brought up how insane it was and that, if anything, the CNA's, Janitors, etc.. should be getting the ones free food, I was treated as if I was some kind of trader, a troublemaker. Love or hate the Marine Corps, agree with its missions or not, I think the civilian world could learn alot from the Corps about leadership, responsibility, team building, and keeping up morale.

[edgySF]

03:45 PM on 02/29/2012

a friend of mine is a colonel in the marines...I respect her quite a bit. she's in afghanistan right now for who knows how many times now. I like what you wrote, and agree with it.

[ActaNonVerbaNow]

03:51 PM on 02/29/2012

Thanks.

[sindurrella]

03:55 PM on 02/29/2012

I didn't know that. thanks for sharing. F&F

[ActaNonVerbaNow]

02:54 PM on 02/29/2012

Please pull your pants up and stop spraying me with your trickle down economy rich people.

[OliviaBolivia27]

02:46 PM on 02/29/2012

Well, how do you think they got rich in the first place? Certainly not by humbly playing by the rules. The fast track to success is through exploiting others, in this world.

[BMcCue7]

06:47 PM on 02/29/2012

Some people still like to imagine that we live in a merit-based society.

I guess it depends on how one defines the word "merit." Is exploiting others really a "merit" I wonder?

[Priestess of Ryleh]

09:01 PM on 02/29/2012

apparently if your good enough at it

[Andrea Jones]

02:28 PM on 02/29/2012

Greed begets no ethics, compassion, charity and love for your neighbor.

[mallen1971]

03:56 PM on 02/29/2012

Big difference between greed and wealth. I have seen many compassionate and charitable acts by the wealthy. I've also seen arrogance and a sense of entitlement, so one brush can not paint an entire class of people and I would hope people realize that.

[Andrea Jones]

08:04 PM on 02/29/2012

What was in my statement that said anything of generalizing an entire class of people? And where do you see anything of my comparing greed to wealth? Greed has no lock on income - one can be greedy about lots of things. The wealthy in the study exhibited a compulsion for greed and that is why they were willing to do nefarious and unethical acts to other people to get ahead.
So your hope that people realize the difference has been realize in me.

[TheFour95s]

02:05 PM on 02/29/2012

Funny, this reminded me of reading an article in the Washington Post (2001?) that found one of the poorest counties (Prince George's) was more charitable than the wealthiest (Fairfax County). Having lived in both I believed it.

Mo' money, mo' misanthropy.

[wardept11]

02:05 PM on 02/29/2012

This is not news to me. It's always been that way at least in my 72 years of exsperience. Welthy people are generally selfish and not very nice.

[ActaNonVerbaNow]

02:01 PM on 02/29/2012

I love these types of studies. I don't hate people because they are rich. I just think it's really important to be realistic about the fact that 1) They dispel the myth that all (or even most) that are doing better than other people are doing so because they played by the rules and worked hard (i.e. meritorcracy) and 2) They highlight the fact that being in a better position than others can both desensitize AND elicit a cruely relex (i.e. you ain't gonna take what is mine).

[MJinCanada]

12:30 PM on 02/29/2012

A resort employee got fired for blogging about how cheap billionaire Foster Friess and his buddies were with their tips during Friess's big birthday blowout. The resort staff were looking forward to some nice gratuities -- but the super rich folks generally tipped a dollar or less.

Less wealthy patrons of the resort typically showed their appreciation with fives.

My son works retail in electronics and he's always stunned at how some of the richest people want undeserved discounts (one said he'd buy the computer if my son knocked off the amount of his commission -- think about that), or want full refunds when they return damaged merchandise without the packaging. They lie and they never apologize for their rudeness.

The people who really work for their money tend to respect others who do the same.

[Jarrod Reid]

11:33 AM on 03/01/2012

This makes me kind of angry - they act like spoiled little children. Telling us how the "real world" works and then not playing by the "rules" they've set up.

[elstewart]

11:57 AM on 02/29/2012

That's why you won't see any Girl Scouts selling cookies outside the Republican National Convention.