The lying upper class??

Interesting Article:

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/02/shame-on-the-rich.html?ref=hp

The team's findings suggest that privilege promotes dishonesty. For example, upper-class subjects were more likely to cheat. After five apparently random rolls of a computerized die for a chance to win an online gift certificate, three times as many upper-class players reported totals higher than 12—even though, unbeknownst to them, the game was rigged so that 12 was the highest possible score.

Wow... I was hoping to get some interesting insights on this article... I guess everyone agrees with it completely :)

Cheers

how else did you think they got there...

I want to know... does privilege promote dishonesty or does dishonesty promote privilege?  Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?

I have read this before. There could be several reasons, but one could be that SOME educated people think that they're smarter than everyone else and that they can cover their tracks with spouses and others.

dc

incidently, ignorant people lie plenty too...ei-lying for the 'TRUTH'

I think this is a huge problem w/all of society -- the lying/conniving and have always had bad situations w/the lower end of the scale who are angry that someone has more.  Some think upper class are so busy (are negligent w/their money) they won't notice (shopping orders, construction, maids, on and on). There's always someone w/their hand out wanting something from those that have more.  

People are liars --- 

Looks like this story keeps on giving and giving...

http://news.yahoo.com/rich-people-unethical-224915381--abc-news.html

At last, an explanation for Wall Street's disgrace, Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme and other high-society crimes and misdemeanors:  A  new study published in the Proceedings of that National Academy of Sciences found that wealthier people  were more apt to behave  unethically than those who had less money.

Nice guys finish last.

May I just say that this is one of the most class-prejudicial topics that I have ever seen on JWN.

It takes Obama-style class warfare to an entirely new level - people who are successful are automatically dishonest by this theory.

Baloney.

darthfinder --- this might be right about Wall St. and the rest of it, too.  I'll check the link out.  Guess that's why they have so-called country club prisons but thought most wealthy people went there because of tax evasion.  

There's a sucker born every minute.  There's also a liar/exaggerator/embellisher (whatever you want to call it) born every minute.  The point of the research is to find if certain classes have a greater propensity for it.

Do the results really suprise anyone? I won't defend the third test in the article, but I find the first two very in touch with reality.  Intelligence, merit, hard work and ambition go a long way.  But so does embellishment.  Intelligence, merit, and hard work particularly is generally enough to ensure you make enough to pay the bills, but in most business environments that won't get you above middle management.  If you want to make it to the top, it takes the ambition to aggressively pursue it, a little well-timed embellishment to accentuate your accomplishments, and a little luck.  Hard work and intelligence alone won't get you there unless it falls in your lap, which is next to never.

Especially in the test with the dice, I don't consider that lying (though technically it is).  It doesn't matter how smart you are, you have to sell yourself and your abilities to get ahead.  You have to portray yourself as a "winner".  You need to have the ability to step in dogsh!t and come out smelling like roses.