Never argue with Mother Nature when she says, “Connect to survive!”  Science says she’s got her facts straight.

People from poorer circumstances are more generous and helpful than richer people. Lower class individuals have higher social intelligence because of their greater commitment to fairness and heightened feelings of compassion. Our social environment actually changes the operation of our brains.

There are enormous stores of generosity and empathy in poorer communities and this is good news for our survival. It’s not the strong who will be able to thrive in the integral world — survival will depend on our ability to connect positively with others. There is good news on top of that! Nature is working on our side because our brains are naturally wired to be kind!

This great clip simply explains the neuroscience of positive connection. And, Connected Wisdom knows how to put these facts from science to best use to create great social environments that foster positive human connection without the disadvantages of poverty.

This is our specialty at Connected Wisdom. Not only will we be more highly evolved, we will build a bright new world!

Lower social class (or socioeconomic status) is associated with fewer resources, greater exposure to threat, and a reduced sense of personal control. Given these life circumstances, one might expect lower class individuals to engage in less prosocial behavior, prioritizing self-interest over the welfare of others. The authors hypothesized, by contrast, that lower class individuals orient to the welfare of others as a means to adapt to their more hostile environments and that this orientation gives rise to greater prosocial behavior. Across 4 studies, lower class individuals proved to be more generous (Study 1), charitable (Study 2), trusting (Study 3), and helpful (Study 4) compared with their upper class counterparts. Mediator and moderator data showed that lower class individuals acted in a more prosocial fashion because of a greater commitment to egalitarian values and feelings of compassion. Implications for social class, prosocial behavior, and economic inequality are discussed.

Having less, giving more: The influence of social class on prosocial behavior.

Piff, Paul K.; Kraus, Michael W.; Côté, Stéphane; Cheng, Bonnie Hayden; Keltner, Dacher

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 99(5), Nov 2010, 771-784.

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