Steve Taylor writes:

A few weeks ago, the millionaire Polish CEO Piotr Szczerek made headlines when he snatched a signed cap from a child at the American Open tennis tournament. A social media backlash followed, which threatened Szczerek’s business interests, prompting an apology.

Is it strange that a wealthy businessman should behave with such apparent pettiness and meanness? In fact, research has found a clear link between wealth and unethical behaviour, including an increased tendency to cheat and steal. One study found that wealthy, upper-class people were more likely to be selfishly focused on their interests, excluding others from their concern. Conversely, another study found that people from lower social classes were more likely to feel compassion for other people’s suffering.

Researchers have even established that drivers of expensive cars are less likely to behave altruistically than other drivers. They are less likely to slow down to let pedestrians cross or to let other drivers join the road. They are also more likely to drive aggressively and disobey traffic rules. One study found that the likelihood of the drivers slowing down to let pedestrians cross the road decreased by 3 percent for every $1,000 that their car was worth.

In simple terms, it seems that rich people are more likely to be mean and less likely to be altruistic. What could explain this link? Perhaps wealth turns people bad, isolating them from others and making them more selfish. Or is it that people who are already ruthless and selfish are more likely to become extremely wealthy?

One way of clarifying this is to think in terms of what psychologists refer to as dark triad personalities. These are people who have combined traits of psychopathy, narcissism, and machiavellianism. These traits—which all involve selfishness and low empathy—almost always overlap and can be difficult to distinguish from one another. [Continue reading…]