How wealth reduces compassion

Wealth and abundance give us a sense of freedom and independence from others. The less we have to rely on others, the less we may care about their feelings. This leads us towards being more self-focused. Upper-class people also may be more likely to endorse the idea that “greed is good.” These are some of the conclusions of studies by Berkeley psychologists Paul Piff and Dacher Keltner. They looked at whether social class (as measured by wealth, occupational prestige, and education) influences how much we care about the feelings of others. In Scientific American of 10 April 2012 Daisy Grewal describes their experiments and findings. I wonder whether affluence also influences one's attitude to biodiversity and the community of life?