"We're not saying you should distrust the rich, or the rich are corrupt, " says Piff.

CNN: Are rich people more unethical?

These findings don't show that unethical behavior is somehow ingrained in people of higher status, Piff says.

CNN: Are rich people more unethical?

Some of the experiments Dr Piff conducted, however, sorted people by the income of the family in which the participant grew up.

ECONOMIST: They are more selfish

Piff and his colleagues acknowledge the limitations of the study.

CNN: Are rich people more unethical?

Dr Piff himself suggests that the increased compassion which seems to exist among the poor increases generosity and helpfulness, and promotes a level of trust and co-operation that can prove essential for survival during hard times.

ECONOMIST: Wealth, poverty and compassion: The rich are different from you and me | The

"Elevated wealth status seems to make you want even more, and that increased want leads you to bend the rules or break the rules to serve your self-interest, " says Paul Piff, the lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate in psychology at the university.

CNN: Are rich people more unethical?