Despite their fortunes, Bernard Madoff (left), Donald Trump (center) and the late Leona Helmsley never spent a dime on their manners.
In a bombshell study released this week, rich people are apparently more inclined to lie, cheat and break the law without feeling bad about it. [Cue the shocking revelation music]
The study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used experimental and naturalistic methods – basically science – to reveal that upper-class individuals tend to behave more unethically than lower-class individuals.
Among the many revelations uncovered in this government-funded study, upper-class individuals were more likely to break the law while driving, exhibit unethical decision-making tendencies, take valued goods from others, lie in a negotiation, cheat to increase their chances of winning a prize, and endorse unethical behavior at work when compared to their lower-class counterparts.
The study’s lead author, PhD candidate Paul Piff insists rich people aren’t rich because they’re naturally douchey, but rather its the money that perpetuates the douchiness, if that even makes sense.
“It’s not that the rich are innately bad,” Piff told Bloomberg News, “but as you rise in the ranks–whether as a person or a nonhuman primate–you become more self-focused.”
In one fascinating finding uncovered (and by fascinating I mean more digestible than fascinating), wealthier folks were more inclined to cheat in a trivial game of dice where a crappy $50 gift card was at stake. The reasoning behind this Piff explains, is that the rich develop such a clouded perspective of reality that their concern is not about being fair or righteous, but to simply, as Biggie Smalls put it, get money.
So the next time a rich person pisses you off, don’t get mad at them, as they are merely a product of their environment. Ah science. Don’t you love it!
In the meantime, enjoy this classic throw back…
the RAMOS project 
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