Rich lie and cheat more

Rich lie and cheat more

28/02/2012

Cheating, cheating or lying: These negative characteristics are often credited to socially disadvantaged people such as Hartz IV recipients at the regulars' table or in the tabloid press. Those who earn a lot of money and belong to the so-called upper class, on the other hand, enjoy a lot of recognition. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley have found during a study that wealthy and wealthy people are much more likely to lie and cheat than people on lower incomes. The anti-social behavior is particularly noticeable in traffic: there would be many realms outright „like the ax in the forest“ and disregard traffic rules many times.

Little consideration in the traffic
When it comes to morality and legal concepts, behave according to a scientific US study of the „University of California“ Relatives of the upper class less considerate than people with a low or middle income. In order to arrive at this result, the PNAS observed the behavior of high earners in the traffic. For the most part, members of the upper classes drive faster and larger cars than others. During the observation period, the drivers of the vehicles were usually less considerate of the other road users and more often disregarded road traffic regulations.

During the course of the study, the scientists tested the behavior of the subjects on the road. The research group positioned itself at a busy intersection. Motorists have to stop there because the right of way is regulated by a stop sign. In the course, the researchers noted the cars, which nevertheless denied the other participants the right of way and continued without stopping. The cars were categorized by brand, age and condition. In addition, the scientists estimated the age and gender of the driver.

Drivers of luxury classes often denied pedestrians crossing the street
In the evaluation of the data showed that especially drivers of the upper class significantly more often disregarded the right of way than other drivers. In a further test set-up, it was found that upper-class cars at a crosswalk were more likely to refuse to cross pedestrians than apparently less well-off people in smaller makes.

Self-assessment of social and financial status
The results of the first two series of tests were insufficient to arrive at a conclusive result. Therefore, the researchers launched further tests to secure the existing data. In another study, they let student subjects solve some given tasks on the computer. One task was to practice self-assessment. Students should rate their economic and social position on a scale of 1 to 10 and then compare it to the average of all US residents. The researchers wanted to derive from it, how the subjects look at themselves economically, may feel better or worse than others and what attitude they took.

Rich people ate away the sweets to children
In the second part of the study, the scientists estimated a supposed break. In truth, the break was also part of the observation. In the middle of the break room a glass of candy was draped. The researchers said to the subjects that the treats were actually intended for children in an adjoining room, who participate in another study. Who wants to but quiet but serve. Thereafter, the researchers left the room to let the students go on. After a few minutes, the psychologists entered the room again and asked for the supposed second part of the study.

Those who had assigned themselves to a higher stratum in the first test run on average had taken more sweets than those who felt more of a middle or lower stratum. In further series of tests, it was found that the wealthy students in the course more often said the untruth and cheated when it came to win money in a game.

Positive attitude to greed
As a reason for the non-social behavior, the psychologists of the research group to indicate that people with a higher income have a different relationship to „greed“. Values ​​such as solidarity and or humanity seem to play a minor role in those affected. As a rule, they feel „There's nothing wrong with getting what you want“. In doing so, the limits of fellow human beings are also exceeded and violate laws, morality and rules, as study leader Paul Piff summarized. The rich study participants had to indicate in the self-analyzes, for example, that „greed“ a rather positive property. Participants of lower levels were brought to it, „greed“ also to be regarded as something positive, so „Also increased the likelihood of cheating, cheating and lying.“ The significant differences could not be explained by age, ethnicity, religious affiliation, or political affiliation, as stated in the study report.

„Everyone has felt the feeling of greed in their lives before“, says Piff. However, according to the results, the frequency of feeling is not evenly distributed in frequency in all social milieus. „For people with a high income, the enforcement of their own interests is a prerequisite for success“. Those who have a high income are constantly developing new wishes for more wealth. The researchers suspect that this circumstance additionally favors the misconduct. (Sb)

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Thommy Weiss