A study done by Harvard researchers and experts from the University of Utah found that exposure to money can corrupt people.

The research was conducted at the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University and the Department of Management, David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah.

An abstract of the research reported:

Can mere exposure to money corrupt? In four studies, we examined the likelihood of unethical outcomes when the construct of money was activated through the use of priming techniques. The results of Study 1 demonstrated that individuals primed with money were more likely to demonstrate unethical intentions than those in the control group. In Study 2, we showed that participants primed with money were more likely to adopt a business decision frame. In Studies 3 and 4, we found that money cues triggered a business decision frame, which led to a greater likelihood of unethical intentions and behavior. Together, the results of these studies demonstrate that mere exposure to money can trigger unethical intentions and behavior and that decision frame mediates this effect.

The poor must be more ethical than the rich.

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