財富是如何減少同情心的：科學美國人

As riches grow, empathy for others seems to decline

隨著富裕，對他人的同情減少了！

Money shifts the emotionsImage: iStock / pagadesign

金錢換感情 圖片：Stock / pagadesign

Who is more likely to lie, cheat, and steal—the poor person or the rich one? It』s temping to think that the wealthier you are, the more likely you are to act fairly. After all, if you already have enough for yourself, it』s easier to think about what others may need. But research suggests the opposite is true: as people climb the social ladder, their compassionate feelings towards other people decline.

誰比較可能說謊、作弊和偷竊——窮人還是富人？人們都傾向於認為你越富有，越可能公正行事。畢竟，如果你已經滿足了自身，就很容易想到別人所需。但是研究顯示真相恰恰相反：作為社會階梯上層的人們，他們對他人的同情心正在減少。

Berkeley psychologists Paul Piff and Dacher Keltner ran several studies looking at whether social class (as measured by wealth, occupational prestige, and education) influences how much we care about the feelings of others. In one study, Piff and his colleagues discreetly observed the behavior of drivers at a busy four-way intersection. They found that luxury car drivers were more likely to cut off other motorists instead of waiting for their turn at the intersection. This was true for both men and women upper-class drivers, regardless of the time of day or the amount of traffic at the intersection. In a different study they found that luxury car drivers were also more likely to speed past a pedestrian trying to use a crosswalk, even after making eye contact with the pedestrian.

伯克利心理學家保羅.皮福和達切.凱特納 做了幾個調查看是否社會階層（基於財富、職業聲望和教育作為評判標準）會影響我們對他人關心的程度。在一個調查研究中，皮福和他的同事謹慎的觀察司機在四車道十字路口的行為。他們發現豪華車的駕駛者更可能搶其他駕駛者的道，而不是等其他駕駛者拐過這個十字路口。這對上層社會的男人和女人都一樣的，無論時間是白天或是交通擁擠過這十字路口也都一樣。在另一個不同的研究里，他們發現豪華車的駕駛者也更可能快速超過人行橫道上的行人，甚至還與行人目光接觸也無所謂。

In order to figure out whether selfishness leads to wealth (rather than vice versa), Piff and his colleagues ran a study where they manipulated people』s class feelings. The researchers asked participants to spend a few minutes comparing themselves either to people better off or worse off than themselves financially. Afterwards, participants were shown a jar of candy and told that they could take home as much as they wanted. They were also told that the leftover candy would be given to children in a nearby laboratory. Those participants who had spent time thinking about how much better off they were compared to others ended up taking significantly more candy for themselves--leaving less behind for the children.

為了斷定是否自私才能走向富有（而不是相反），皮福和他的同事做了一個操縱人們階層感覺的調查。這個調查者要求參與者花幾分鐘，同財務狀況比他們富裕的人或者貧窮的人做個比較。然後，參與者會看到一罐子糖果，並被告知他們想要多少就可以拿回家多少。他們也被告知剩下的糖果會被給隔壁實驗室的孩子們。一些花時間認為他們比其他人更富裕的參與者，在實驗結束後為自己帶走了大量的糖果，留下很少給後面的孩子們。

A related set of studies published by Keltner and his colleagues last year looked at how social class influences feelings of compassion towards people who are suffering. In one study, they found that less affluent individuals are more likely to report feeling compassion towards others on a regular basis. For example, they are more likely to agree with statements such as, 「I often notice people who need help,」 and 「It』s important to take care of people who are vulnerable.」 This was true even after controlling for other factors that we know affect compassionate feelings, such as gender, ethnicity, and spiritual beliefs.

於此相關的一組研究，由凱特納和他的同事在去年發表，可以發現社會階層怎樣影響其對受苦的人們的同情之情的。在第一個調查中，他們發現，不富裕個體在定期報告中，表示更可能感到對他人同情之情。比如，他們更可能如此表示，「我常常注意哪些需要幫助的人們」和「關心弱勢很重要。」。甚至控制我們已知的影響同情之情的因素，比如性別、種族和信仰後，都得出不富裕的人表現出更多的同情心。

In a second study, participants were asked to watch two videos while having their heart rate monitored. One video showed somebody explaining how to build a patio. The other showed children who were suffering from cancer. After watching the videos, participants indicated how much compassion they felt while watching either video. Social class was measured by asking participants questions about their family』s level of income and education. The results of the study showed that participants on the lower end of the spectrum, with less income and education, were more likely to report feeling compassion while watching the video of the cancer patients. In addition, their heart rates slowed down while watching the cancer video—a response that is associated with paying greater attention to the feelings and motivations of others.

在第二個調查中，參與者們被要求在他們的心率被檢測的同時，觀看兩個視頻。一個視頻顯示某人正在解釋怎樣建一個露台。另一個顯示正在忍受癌症折磨的孩子們。在看這些視頻後，參與者說明他們在觀看每個視頻時他們感到的同情程度有多少。通過詢問參與者他們家庭收入和受教育程度，劃分社會階層。調查結果顯示，階層較低的參與者，收入和受教育很少，當觀看癌症病人的視頻時，更可能報告感到同情。並且，觀看癌症病人的視頻時，他們的心率會放慢——這是與投入很多的注意力去感覺他人內心感動相關的一種反應。

These findings build upon previous research showing how upper class individuals are worse at recognizing the emotions of others and less likely to pay attention to people they are interacting with (e.g. by checking their cell phones or doodling).

依賴前期研究的這些發現，高層個體是怎樣不善於覺察他人的感情和不可能關注那些他們與之交流的人（比如，通過查詢他們的手機和塗鴉。）

But why would wealth and status decrease our feelings of compassion for others? After all, it seems more likely that having few resources would lead to selfishness. Piff and his colleagues suspect that the answer may have something to do with how wealth and abundance give us a sense of freedom and independence from others. The less we have to rely on others, the less we may care about their feelings. This leads us towards being more self-focused. Another reason has to do with our attitudes towards greed. Like Gordon Gekko, upper-class people may be more likely to endorse the idea that 「greed is good.」 Piff and his colleagues found that wealthier people are more likely to agree with statements that greed is justified, beneficial, and morally defensible. These attitudes ended up predicting participants』 likelihood of engaging in unethical behavior.

但是為什麼富有和地位會減少了我們對他人同情之情？畢竟，這樣似乎沒有導致自私的緣由。皮福和他的同事懷疑，答案很可能是，財富和豐富資源能帶給我們的一種自由和獨立於他人的感覺去做事情。我們依靠他人越少，關心他人的感覺就越少。這導致我們變得越來越自我關注。另一個不得不自私的原因是對於貪婪的態度。就像戈登·蓋柯，上層人士可能更加認同「貪婪是好的」這個理念。皮福和他的同事發現，財富越多的人，越同意貪婪是合乎情理的，是有益的，並且能捍衛道德的。最後，研究以預測參與者的參與不道德行為的可能的這一看法結束。

Given the growing income inequality in the United States, the relationship between wealth and compassion has important implications. Those who hold most of the power in this country, political and otherwise, tend to come from privileged backgrounds. If social class influences how much we care about others, then the most powerful among us may be the least likely to make decisions that help the needy and the poor. They may also be the most likely to engage in unethical behavior. Keltner and Piff recentlyspeculated in the New York Times about how their research helps explain why Goldman Sachs and other high-powered financial corporations are breeding grounds for greedy behavior. Although greed is a universal human emotion, it may have the strongest pull over those of who already have the most.

在美國，由於收入增長的不平等，財富和同情心之間的聯繫就有重要的影響。在這個國家，一些有特權背景的人，容易擁有更多權勢，政治地位和其他。如果社會層次影響我們對他人的關心程度，那麼我們中最有權勢的可能會很少做出幫助貧困和窮人的決定。他們也更可能參與不道德行為。凱特納和皮福最近在紐約時報上思考，他們的研究幫助解釋為什麼高盛投資公司和強權財務公司成了貪婪行為的溫床。因此貪婪是普遍的人類情感，它可以有最強大的力量推開那些已經擁有最多的人。

Are you a scientist who specializes in neuroscience, cognitive science, or psychology? And have you read a recent peer-reviewed paper that you would like to write about? Please send suggestions to Mind Matters editor Gareth Cook, a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist at the Boston Globe. He can be reached at garethideas AT gmail.com or Twitter @garethideas.

你是一個專門從事神經系統科學，認知科學或者心理學的科學家么？是否你已經讀了最近行業內的文章，並讓你願意寫寫他們？請發郵件給Mind Matters主編Gareth Cook，一位獲得普利策獎的波士頓全球報的記者。你能通過發郵件到garethideas AT gmail.com或者Twitter @garethideas聯繫他。

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