The rich are more likely to:

a) Cut off other drivers.

b) Be disinterested in the welfare of others.

c) Cheat on a test to get ahead.

d) Give more to charities.

e) All of the above.

Science has shown that not having much money generally leads to all kinds of not-so-awesome outcomes: shorter life expectancy, higher stress, poorer health and a lack of social mobility. Increasingly, however, the rich are being put under the microscope.

Growing income inequality is providing research fodder for psychologists, economists and others who study what effect money--and socio-economic class--has on a person's behavior.

Overall, research shows that having a lot of money is not necessarily a benefit, at least when it comes to embodying characteristics that lead to inner peace like empathy, honesty and compassion. In fact it's quite the opposite: Money can make you mean, according to this week's cover story in New York magazine.

New York's story follows on a run of coverage looking at the differences between the way rich and poor people think. Last fall, a key study on wealth and empathy at the University of California-Berkeley showed that while the rich have less compassion for others, it isn't because they have faulty hard-wiring. It's because they lack an education from the School of Hard Knocks.

Vanquishing Software Viruses and Maybe Your Rivals

Video Game Industry: No Rules Left to the Games

Disruptors Reinventing the Retail Marketplace

As Some Thrive on Disruption, Others Strive to Survive It

What Disruptors Need to Attract Capital

More The Disruptors