Science Weekly Are rich people really worse behaved? Here’s the science
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Sep 8, 2026 
Ian Sample, The Guardian’s science editor and a specialist in research, medicine and technology, explores the quirky Ig Nobel-winning studies that make science laugh and think. They investigate whether wealth is linked to ethical misbehaviour, why we may want friends to oppose our enemies, and how scientists define kissing across species. Plus: animal sexual behaviour and the microbiome-swapping risks of a kiss.
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Why The Ig Nobels Make Science Memorable
- The Ig Nobel Prizes use humor to highlight creative, thought-provoking scientific questions.
- Winners deliver 24-second and seven-word explanations, receive obsolete Zimbabwean currency, and collect grotesque blue-cheese trophies amid paper airplanes.
The Wealthy Behaved Less Ethically In Seven Tests
- Across seven experiments, relatively wealthier participants committed more ethical infringements than relatively poorer participants.
- The researchers compared class using self-ratings, socioeconomic status, and even participants’ cars.
The Rich Took More Sweets From Children
- Drivers in flashier cars cut off other motorists more often and crossed pedestrian crossings while people waited.
- In the sweets experiment, relatively wealthy participants ate twice as many children’s sweets as poorer participants.