UC Berkeley Study: Money turns people into jerks

"Drivers of expensive cars were three to four times more likely to break the law, and not stop in a pedestrian intersection.
Given the opportunity, wealthier participants took twice as much candy from children as poorer participants.
The wealthy cheated four times as often at dice games when money was on the line--a $50 voucher.

At the end of the game, the wealthier subjects inevitably win. But strangely, when asked, even knowing that they were given every advantage in the game by nothing more than chance, they reported that they deserved to win. Even in the microcosm of Monopoly, wealth bred entitlement."

www.fastcodesign.com...

reply to post by John_Rodger_Cornman


Money turns people into jerks....

and this is news???

Well, this almost explains the senate, most of congress, and the complete liar in the white house....someone do a study on that. These traitors should lose everything over their salary that they have 'aquired' and be forced to live with the same healthcare laws THEY created......

reply to post by John_Rodger_Cornman



NO NO, what it really means is jerks are more likely to become wealthy.

We'll I guess we had better take the jerks money and spread it around so that we can all be jerks equally.

If you're an a-hole you will always be an a-hole. My wife's girlfriend has a husband who is a royal douchebag. He's loaded. But he's always been a douchebag. He has no friends. However I have a buddy who received a pretty nice inheritance. Nicest guy in the world.

IMO its about your personality......not the money.

reply to post by Stormdancer777


Then some of the posters here should be in for a major windfall, break out the champagne.....

reply to post by John_Rodger_Cornman


If I turned my attention to making money, and only to making money, with no concern for honesty, hustling other people, selling them on useless things, and dazzling their minds while picking their pockets, I'd be changing my personality so much that I'd be a jerk (well, more of a jerk). Making money is fairly easy if you have no morals. Just look at all the executives at places like Coca Cola, Pepsi, McDonalds, tobacco companies, etc. I don't understand how they can live with themselves, and am happy I can't understand it.

Crime rates are highest among the poor. Being poor causes people to do things they wouldn't normally do if they weren't in desperate situations. One could argue that being poor causes people to be jerks. (But no one ever would make such a claim... it's not fashionable.)

I do agree that money can make some people jerks. It can give some people a sense of entitlement. But, truly, jerks come from all socio-economic backgrounds... their brand of jerk just might vary a bit.

This was a study done because they wanted to say something. They already knew the endpoint they wanted. I could be wrong... that's just my guess and my opinion.

Of course young poor people who prefer to demand other peoples money instead of working to earn their own are not jerks at all.

Right?

Ruling class wannabees fantasize about the proletariat buying academic rubbish like this.

People of any wealth level can be jerks, this is just another transparent attack on the pursuit of wealth, implying that if we were all at the same income level, the world would be a better place.

Which is obviously, entirely unsupported by human nature.

teslahowitzer
reply to post by Stormdancer777

 

Then some of the posters here should be in for a major windfall, break out the champagne.....

you have a point


However I think my boat has sailed, if only I had known.

reply to post by VegHead


Beg to differ here. Crime rates are high for the poor who are caught and convicted. Crime rates for the wealthy are very high in real life, and they are usually not caught or convicted. An idiot robbing a grocery store is doing so in full view of cameras. The offices and the clubs of the mighty either hold their secrets well or, in the case of big tobacco, big sugar, big pharma, etc, their crimes are not considered crimes except by those with common sense.

reply to post by VegHead

Crime rates are highest among the poor.

I think the rich can be just as criminal, they just commit different crimes, hire better lawyers, and PR people,

reply to post by Aleister

The offices and the clubs of the mighty either hold their secrets well o

exactly, one only has to look at congress,

As I've gotten, over the last few years, to know more wealthy people, I had long ago come to this conclusion.

I concede that:
some people are naturally jerks;
it is easier for unscrupulous people (ie, jerks) to make money;
some people can be wealthy but remain decent people.

However, there is an inclination in human nature to become arrogant in the context of material prosperity. Proverbs 10:15 says, "A rich man's wealth is his fortress."

There's kind of a double meaning here. One is that, in fact, wealth can be something of a fortress to one when times are good. But it also indicates that, in reality, it is the arrogance of the wealthy that makes them think themselves secure in their own possessions and material prosperity.

So, yeah, no big surprise there. About as shocking as the study that proved that men and women are fundamentally different.

reply to post by bjax9er


How did you come to that conclusion?

reply to post by John_Rodger_Cornman


It is near to impossible to reach into financial heights without being a jerk, whether one likes to admit it or not. Majority of the financial sector as well as corporations are vastly dependent on different seemingly inmoral actions, whether environmental, legal or exploiting the lower employees or even customers. The ones who are able to conquer these obstacles the best make to the top. When one wants to invest the companies producing the most financial value, usually tend to be the worst when it comes to moral values. So-called moral investing is very tough nowadays, possible, but it is very hard for any company working on honest principles has severe disadvantage at the market and their profits tend to usually be significantly lower, although there are some who do well also, but you have to search a lot - been there, done it . Morals are a weakness when it comes to business.

reply to post by Cabin


It doesn't have to be a disadvantage.

This is the very reason why I reject all statism.

Aleister
reply to post by VegHead

 

Beg to differ here. Crime rates are high for the poor who are caught and convicted. Crime rates for the wealthy are very high in real life, and they are usually not caught or convicted. An idiot robbing a grocery store is doing so in full view of cameras. The offices and the clubs of the mighty either hold their secrets well or, in the case of big tobacco, big sugar, big pharma, etc, their crimes are not considered crimes except by those with common sense.

edit on 10-12-2013 by Aleister because: (no reason given)

I hear what you are saying and you make a good point. All crime being equal (that is not differentiating violent crime versus other crimes) might paint a more even picture.

I remember seeing the original article not that long ago about the type of car that is most likely to be driven aggressively ( in other words, like a jerk) and it seemed like it was a BMW. I think this was based on traffic violations.

ETA: Here, I found a link describing that study: dc.streetsblog.org...

People driving luxury cars are more likely to fail to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk and to engage in other unethical, antisocial behavior, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

I drive a 10-year-old minivan... and I definitely do not drive aggressively. I would never buy a BMW, or any expensive car, because it's just not my thing. I don't "get" it.

Here is an interesting article on a study that states that associating your car with your identity leads to aggressive driving: www.fox.temple.edu...


So there is some personality type that is attracted to flaunting displays of wealth, and that same personality type might be good at stepping on people on the way up a corporate ladder. But there are plenty of "millionaire next door" types who are charitable, loving, and good people and do not get "turned into jerks" by their money.

But, as someone else referenced biblical text, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. So there is truth in the notion that money can and does corrupt people. But I still think this study was done because it really wanted to say money turns people into jerks... and who could be surprised with this type of sentiment coming from Berkeley?

reply to post by John_Rodger_Cornman


It can be turned to advantage in certain fields, true. Although the advantage would still be lower than the advantages for opponents.

The simple fact lies in majority of people not caring enough and going simply for the lowest price. When you do the honest business, paying all the employees fair and well, creating a quality product, while following all environmental standards and even more, your prices will be higher than the opponents. There will be people who are willing to buy these because of the business ethics, but there are not that many. Making millions like that is near to impossible. Earning a good income (in US standards roughly 100k a year) is reasonable in long-term. Also it has to be considered that people are affected by the standards signs. You can make all your products like that, the rival company can do a few products in the same category as yours, while at the same time doing the unethical parts also and possibly they could do it cheaper due to the size of the company.

Even in internet and app market you have to make a choice, put a price on your product or put it full of advertisements. If you choose the no-advertising version, the opponents with similar products just do a advertisement version and costly version without advertisements at the same time.

Running a nice small business (with a smaller amount of employees < 50) it is possible to run the ethical business, although growing larger is near to impossible as in the top companies do not run in the same way. You will not be able to compete with them prisewise and your ethical business is simply a sales argument. Gaining a significant market share with that argument is near to impossible