So is this the REAL reason Congress wouldn’t allow Obama to raise taxes on the rich to pay our debts?
A new study published this week in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, says rich people are SELFISH!
Pyschologist and social scientist behind the study, Dacher Keltner, said:
“We have now done 12 separate studies measuring empathy in every way imaginable, social behavior in every way, and some work on compassion and it’s the same story. Lower class people just show more empathy, more prosocial behavior, more compassion, no matter how you look at it.”
He believes that because the lower class depends on others for survival, they learn “prosocial behaviors” including reading people better, empathizing with others, and give more to those in need.
Rich folks, on the other hand, are more inclined to follow an “ideology of self-interest” according to Dr. Kelter’s various studies. In an experiment he calls the “dictator game”, participants were given ten points representing money, then paired with an unseen partner and could share as much or little “money” with them as they wanted.
After controlling for gender, age or ethnicity, the lower-class consistently gave more.
The professor of psychology continued to elaborate on the root of the upper class’ selfish nature, saying:
“They think that economic success and political outcomes, and personal outcomes, have to do with individual behavior, a good work ethic.”
This attitude, however, prevents them from recognizing the ways family connections, money and education helped them succeed. As a result, they come to denigrate the role of government and vigorously oppose taxes to fund it.
While there may be some truth to these findings, we don’t think ALL rich people share this attitude. Matt Damon and other philanthropy loving rich celebs suggest that being born into the lower-class then achieving upper-class status through hard work can keep their empathy in check.