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Why income inequality is so much worse than we realize
Scientific American: In a candid conversation with Frank Rich last fall, Chris Rock said, “Oh, people don’t even know. If poor people knew how rich rich people are, there would be riots in the streets.” The findings
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How Do We Increase Empathy?
The New York Times: In my last column, I wrote about a high school buddy, Kevin Green, a warm and helpful man who floundered in a tough job market, hurt his back and died at
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Americans Overestimate Class Mobility
Pacific Standard: America, we learn as children, is the land of opportunity—a place where anyone who works hard and saves their money can climb their way into a higher social class. While statistics do not
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The High Costs of Status Seeking
The Huffington Post: It’s well known that income inequality leads to all sorts of social problems. The bigger the gap between the affluent and the poor, the higher the rates of homicide, teenage pregnancy and
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What Happens When You Make Someone Feel Wealthy
New York Magazine: Since society’s winners tend to get to make the rules, the way winners react to being winners is really important. What’s the psychological effect of feeling like you’ve crawled to the top
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Feeling—Not Being—Wealthy Cuts Support for Economic Redistribution
Pacific Standard: Psychologists and political scientists have puzzled for some time about why the same Americans who favor greater economic equality don’t also support the kinds of redistributive economic policies that would get them there.
