And finally…wealthy people are more selfish, study finds

Research published by the American Psychological Association shows that while people with lower incomes find happiness in other people through feelings of love and compassion, rich people, in contrast, find their happiness in more self-involved traits, such as pride.

The University of California study probed how income impacts how people experience happiness by surveying 1,519 people from the US – 752 male and 767 female.

But instead of measuring happiness, the study compared the finances of each participant with the ways they experienced seven positive emotions.

These included amusement, awe, compassion, contentment, enthusiasm, love and pride.

The results showed that wealthier subjects at the higher end of the socioeconomic spectrum reported a greater tendency to experience emotions that focused on themselves, specifically pride and contentment.

In comparison, individuals with lower incomes were more likely to experience positive emotions that focussed on other people, namely compassion and love.

Poorer people also reported experiencing more awe and beauty in the world around them, while there was no apparent difference for enthusiasm.

The results provide an interesting insight given the generally negative stigma attached to being poor, as it appears that while individuals with material wealth tend to find greater positivity in their own accomplishments or status, people at the lower end of the income scale tend to find happiness in a deeper place to the benefit of others.

Lead author of the study, Paul Piff of the University of California, Irvine, said: “Lower-income individuals have devised a way to cope, to find meaning, joy and happiness in their lives despite their relatively less favourable circumstances.”

“Wealth doesn’t guarantee you happiness, but it may predispose you to experiencing different forms of it - for example, whether you delight in yourself versus in your friends and relationships.”