Scientists have estimated how people change with higher wages

Psychologists from the Chinese University of Hong Kong found that the growth of a person’s income is accompanied by a change in his personality.

The researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 11 studies from the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Australia. The sample included more than 134,500 working adults who were interviewed 3 to 18 times over a period of 4 to 20 years.

Studies have shown that with increasing income, people on average increased conscientiousness and emotional resilience, and benevolence and extraversion decreased.

At the same time, personal changes predicted changes in earnings: with the growth of conscientiousness and emotional stability in the future, income increased, and increased extraversion in respondents was accompanied by a decrease in earnings.

Studies have also shown different correlations depending on age and gender. Emotional resilience and openness grew stronger in older workers after higher incomes. In women, emotional stability grew stronger than in men.

The authors noted that the findings do not prove a direct link between income growth and changes in personality traits. The studies were conducted in developed Western countries on the basis of self-reports of the respondents. In addition, “measurements” were carried out at intervals of at least a year.