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Greed: What is it good for?
Hoyer,K. Zeelenberg,M. Breugelmans,S.
Hoyer,K.
Zeelenberg,M.
Breugelmans,S.
Abstract
What is greed good for? Greed is ubiquitous, suggesting that it must have some benefits, but it is also often condemned. In a representative sample of the Dutch population (N = 2,367, 51.3% female, Mage = 54.06, SD = 17.90), we examined two questions. First, inspired by Eriksson et al., we studied whether greedy people generate more personal and household income (economic outcomes), have more sexual partners, longer relationships, and more offspring (evolutionary outcomes), and are more satisfied in life (psychological outcomes). We found that greedy individuals had higher economic outcomes, mixed evolutionary outcomes, and lower psychological outcomes. Second, we compared greed and self-interest. We found that they differed in terms of economic outcomes, and partly in terms of evolutionary outcomes, but that they were similar in terms of psychological outcomes. This research provides insights into what greed is and does. Directions for further research are discussed.
Description
Date
2024
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Research Projects
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Journal Issue
Keywords
LIFE, PERCEPTIONS, PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES, SCALE, economic outcomes, evolutionary outcomes, greed, self-interest, well-being
Citation
Hoyer, K, Zeelenberg, M & Breugelmans, S 2024, 'Greed : What is it good for?', Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, vol. 50, no. 4, pp. 597-612. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672221140355