Whether or not we want to admit it, how much money a guy has could actually determine whether or not he’d make a good boyfriend. A recent study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B discusses the connection between economic status and intelligence/the ability to reason. Here’s what you need to know (and why a broke guy just might be your best bet at finding real love).
- A huge number of people from every background were interviewed. Just under 300 people living in a Michigan county were interviewed in person and 2,145 were surveyed via the internet. People from all backgrounds were included in the study, from those who are considered upper class, middle class, and poor people who aren’t working.
- “Wise reasoning style” was the focus of the study. Participants were asked to think about their actual experiences along with scenarios that hadn’t happened to them. Their “wise reasoning style” was studied, which involves five different things. This includes seeing the other person’s POV when you’re fighting with them, believing that there are always tons of ways that a scenario can go, and thinking about something from other POVs. The researchers also looked at people understood the “limits of their own knowledge” and how they could solve arguments and compromise.
- The richest people had the worst wise reasoning style. It’s no secret that rich people seem totally impossible to relate to. You’ve definitely met people throughout your life, both men and women, who you literally couldn’t have a real conversation with. The study authors found that the people from higher income backgrounds had levels of wise reasoning on the lowest side, so they really can’t see things from someone else’s POV or understand that they don’t know everything.
- Rich and poorer guys really do act differently. If you’ve dated guys with tons of dough and guys who were struggling, you probably found them to be super different. The main thing to take away from the study is that people with more money have trouble walking in someone else’s shoes and understanding how the other half lives. If your rich boyfriend could never understand why you couldn’t go out for dinner seven nights a week or go on extravagant vacations, well, this is why.
- You’re right to think that rich guys are entitled. As the study author Igor Grossman told Time.com, “There is research on how experimental manipulations of power and status change your perception of reality, including a feeling of entitlement.” This totally explains why the guys with deep pockets that you’ve dated have mansplained everything to you and generally been jerks. Now you know that there’s some research to back up your theory, which is always nice, right?
- Rich guys are total narcissists. No surprise here: the study authors found that the upper class tends to be full of narcissists. You definitely know that these are the absolute worst people to date. A narcissist will never care about you as much as they care about themselves, and that’s no way to sustain a relationship. Broke guys are looking pretty good right about now…
- Rich guys are also not great at relationships. Another takeaway? Richer people tend to find more joy from things that they have done in life instead of appreciating their relationships and getting contentment from that. Dating a guy with money might mean playing second to his love of material objects and fancy things, and he might never be personally satisfied in the relationship. It’s something to think about, at least.
- All hope isn’t lost for rich guys. At the same time, though, a guy with more money who has a job where he isn’t the one in charge can be better at reasoning. It sounds like this is because he can relate to other people and he knows that he’s not the king of the castle, so to speak. Maybe the trick is to either date a broke guy… or a guy from a wealthy family who still believes that he needs to work hard every day. But the broke guy is probably your better bet (and at least you won’t fight about who pays for what since things will be much more equal).
- Money is just as important in a relationship as you always thought. Sure, it might sound a bit materialistic to even think about how big a guy’s bank account is, and yet it’s a really crucial point. Now that you know that how much money someone has is directly related to how they think about situations and see the world, you know that you want to be with someone who’s compassionate and kind and intelligent. And it just so happens that you’re more likely to find those qualities in a broke guy. Who knew?!
