How does being rich affect your attitude toward others?
About 12 years ago, this question initiated a series of studies by Paul Piff and colleagues. Among them are Dutcher Keltner; greater goodFounding director of. The study gives people of different socio-economic status opportunities to lie, cheat, and behave unethically in a variety of situations, and then examines how they behave. I observed. The overall findings led to the conclusion that wealthy people are less likely to act generously (and more likely to act selfishly and unethically) when given the chance. Other studies seem to support this idea.
The news made headlines, with articles claiming that the wealthy have low empathy, are motivated by greed, and even steal candy from babies. No doubt these articles excited some readers who enjoyed watching the rich fall a notch or two. But are the findings valid? A new study aims to clarify this.
Expensive cars, selfish drivers?
advertisement
X
In the new study, the researchers did their best to replicate parts of Piff's 2012 study. The study observed drivers in Berkeley, California, at busy intersections and observed whether they cut off other drivers and stopped for pedestrians at crosswalks. The research assistants looked at the types of cars passing through intersections, which they considered to be a sign of the drivers' socio-economic status. They also looked at whether there was heavy or light traffic, which they thought could influence people's willingness to act ethically.
In the replication study, the researchers followed the same protocol but improved it by observing more cars (about 2.5 times the original number) and pre-registering the study. This increases the strength of the results and helps eliminate bias. (In pre-registered studies, researchers decide in advance how the study will be conducted and analyzed and openly share the protocol with other researchers, rather than making changes midstream.) Research assistants were instructed to observe all vehicles entering the laboratory. Instead of letting you choose which cars to test, you should test intersections.
After analyzing the results, the authors found no relationship between car manufacturers and unethical behavior. A driver's estimated social status was unrelated to whether he or she attempted to get in the way of others or stopped to pass a pedestrian. This was true despite the traffic conditions and the driver's apparent gender and age.
These new findings cast doubt on the presumed relationship between wealth and unethical behavior.
“We did that [the observations] “We studied it very carefully and over and over again, but we never found this true effect,” says co-author Paul Smeets from the University of Amsterdam.
While this may seem surprising to some, some previous studies that looked at how wealth influences unethical behavior found no association. Mr. Smeets anticipated this possibility. Even other studies that have attempted to replicate Piff's exact steps or reanalyze his original results have failed to show that socioeconomic status influences our generosity, trust, and morality. could not. Additionally, some of Smeets' graduate students conducted fieldwork at busy intersections in European cities and found no association between car make and driving behavior.
“I was surprised because I didn’t notice it at first,” he says. “But I haven’t seen it so many times that I wasn’t really surprised.”
Why the survey results don't match
It is unclear why Piff's findings were so different from Smeets's. Sumeet speculates that people may have changed their behavior in the intervening years, which may explain why they haven't been able to reproduce it. Alternatively, there may have been other variables that influenced the results.
In any case, he says his findings do not discount Piff's findings. They just don't acknowledge it either.
“The original article is still quoted as saying, 'Rich people behave more unethically,'” he says. “At least I can say that's not always the case.”
Piff also doesn't know why the original findings weren't replicated. But traffic could have made a difference, he said. Unethical behavior is more likely to occur at the busiest intersections, where people are rushing to work and may have more reason to attack the system. In Smeets' study, the intersections were not as crowded as in the original study, he says.
“If there are eight people in line at the grocery store, you're much more likely to cut in line than if there's only one other person in line,” Piff says. “They didn't manage or account for those types of incentives.”
Piff also suspects that people's views may have changed in the years since the original study. For example, we've seen research showing that since the pandemic, people have become more sympathetic overall to the plight of others. Perhaps wealthier people become more aware of those around them, leading to changes in their behavior, he says.
“Perhaps we'll see these patterns weaken in the real world as people become more vulnerable in their own lives and more empathetic toward others during the pandemic,” he said. To tell.
Still, Piff is not convinced that there are no real differences in the behavior of wealthier people. Many other studies have found that people with more power and wealth are less attentive to their surroundings and less empathetic and compassionate, which makes them less likely to consider other people's points of view. This can affect how they respond in difficult situations. Other researchers have also replicated his work, including studies of drivers, with similar results.
“I still feel that the science shows that there are huge differences in how people from different backgrounds behave and how they care for others,” Piff says. “I do not think so [Smeets’s] The findings should be taken as a unilateral statement about serious and significant differences between those who are affected and those who are not. ”
Stereotyping the rich
Still, the research is difficult to parse given the strong evidence both for and against unethical behavior by people of high socio-economic status. That's why replication studies are important to understand what's going on. These challenge certain assumptions and help us dig deeper.
Unfortunately, Smeets says, replication studies don't always have that value. Once a provocative discovery makes headlines, it is often so ingrained in people's minds that it is difficult to dispel it, even when new evidence is presented.
“Most of the time, the public doesn't hear about replication studies and just sticks to the original idea,” he says. “Once you have an idea, you look for evidence to support it. Maybe people are less critical of evidence that goes against their intuition.”
Why is this so important? Because people can become overly cynical about the kind and generous actions of the wealthy and believe they are acting for selfish or nefarious reasons. That's because there is, Smeets says. He says the idea that wealthy people do bad things when they get the chance is a stereotype, and as far as he knows, it's not fully supported by research.
He wants research to move away from focusing on the character flaws of the wealthy and from stereotyping them as selfish.His own research shows that wealthy people often act more We lavish both our time and money on others not because they are better in some way, but because we are in a position to do so.
“I don't agree with the idea that rich people are bad or good. I don't think it makes a difference depending on how much money they have,” he says.
Although Mr. Piff may disagree with Mr. Smeets' assessment, he is wary of assuming that the wealthy are categorically unethical. He acknowledges that his research in the lab does not always translate into real-world behavior and that many other factors can come into play.
Smeets agrees. He wants researchers to focus on environmental factors that influence behavior, particularly those that may encourage wealthy people to give more of their wealth to help others. He believes that, while it is true that wealthy people act generously and ethically when given the opportunity, they may need some nudging in the right direction.
“I'd like to think about how we can encourage wealthy people to give more, because I think that's a constructive topic,” he says. “If you have that much money, you have a moral obligation to share some of your money. I'd rather encourage them to do so than call them evil.”
