Psychologists reveal the dark side of wealth and the “Scrooge effect”

Pop culture is full of selfish rich people, from Dickens’ Scrooge to the Simpsons’ Mr. Burns. But as it turns out, this cliché is not far from the truth. A new study confirms the existence of the “Scrooge effect”; Rich people are more likely to be selfish and less prone to empathy.

Psychologists from Leeds Beckett University believe the secret lies in personality traits. Dr. “The desire for wealth is associated with a state of disappointment and dissatisfaction. Happy people generally do not strive to become rich,” explains Steve Taylor. He notes that the traits that help a person become rich overlap with the traits inherent in psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism, often referred to as the “dark triad.”

Research shows that people in the upper class are more likely to cheat, more willing to justify unethical behavior in the workplace, and less likely to show empathy. It turns out that even drivers of expensive cars are less likely to yield to pedestrians – for every thousand dollars spent on a car, the probability of this decreases by 3%.

According to scientists, people with the “dark triad” often seek wealth to fill the emptiness inside them. “They try to compensate for their feelings of lack by adding status and power to themselves. But their lack of empathy makes them less happy, even if they manage to become rich,” says Taylor.

Meanwhile, scientists also found the opposite relationship. According to a study published in the journal Nature Communications, what really makes people happy is generosity. When experiment participants donated money to others, their joy levels increased noticeably. The conclusion is simple: Wealth does not guarantee happiness, but the ability to share does.

By the way, we have previously written about what “instant wealth” is and why it has become a new aesthetic. Read more here.

Source: People Talk