You probably suspected that already, but new studies prove it.
Also, BMW drivers are the worst.
The Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin reports five new studies show higher social class is associated with increased entitlement and narcissism.
Paul Piff of the University of California at Berkeley conducted five experiments that demonstrate the entitlement mentality of people who are wealthier, better educated and have high-status occupations.
Joshua Holland at Bill Moyers & Company described our favorite study:
In one telling experiment, the researchers observed a busy intersection, and found that drivers of luxury cars were more likely to cut off other drivers and less likely to stop for pedestrians crossing the street than those behind the wheels of more modest vehicles. “In our crosswalk study, none of the cars in the beater-car category drove through the crosswalk,” Piff told The New York Times. “But you see this huge boost in a driver’s likelihood to commit infractions in more expensive cars.” He added: “BMW drivers are the worst.”Other studies showed the ultra-wealthy are more likely to look at themselves in the mirror and to say “I honestly feel I’m just more deserving than others."
Another series of experiments showed upper-class individuals are more unethical than lower-class individuals:
This included being more likely to “display unethical decision-making,” steal, lie during a negotiation and cheat in order to win a contest.These are the people U.S. senators pay closest attention to. According to a study to be published in the Political Research Quarterly, they respond almost exclusively to their wealthiest constituents.
It's starting to look a lot like oligarchy.
