Are rich people more likely to lie, cheat and drive aggressively?

BMW drivers, like the one pictured here, were voted the angriest drivers in Britain in a survey of 3,000 road users there (credit: ukautoblog.com)

We all might have suspected it, but now studies from the USA are confirming it. Wealthier people are more likely to lie, cheat and behave selfishly than others – up to three times more likely in fact.

These are the results of an experiment which monitored car users in California and their behaviour at busy junctions. Those driving the expensive cars behaved a lot worse, on average.

Follow-up experiments with people in the laboratory confirmed the same result.

LISTEN: Interview with radio host Declan Meehan

Broadcast on East Coast FM’s The Morning Show with Declan Meehan on 08-03-2012