This podcast explores the psychology of greed and its effects, including the neurological aspect and a study on the behavior of greedy individuals. It also discusses the illusion of success and the concept of taking credit. Additionally, it examines the influence of financial well-being on empathy and questions the morality of greed.
Greed is controlled by the reward center of the brain, leading to unconscious desires for personal gains.
Feeling financially superior can lead to a sense of superiority and reduced empathy towards others.
Deep dives
The Power of Greed and its Neurological Control
At a neurological level, greed is controlled by the reward center of the brain, leading to unconscious and emotional desires for personal gains. Greedy actions often lack awareness of their impact on others. A study conducted by Professor Paul Piff used the game Monopoly, rigged to give an advantage to a rich player, to investigate how privileged individuals perceive their victories. Interestingly, these players took credit for their wins, disregarding the random chance that predetermined their advantage.
The Correlation Between Wealth, Empathy, and Greed
The experiment revealed that feeling financially superior to others can lead to a sense of superiority itself. Professor Piff suggested that the possession of money, particularly the ability to acquire large personal spaces, may contribute to reduced empathy. Wealthier individuals tend to be socially independent, requiring less reliance on others and possibly resulting in a lack of empathy towards others' experiences. However, the podcast questions whether greed itself is inherently bad, proposing that being greedy for social justice or environmental preservation could be desirable.