Why are some people more selfish than others?

A recent study sought to find out how the mind of selfish people works. Of course, we are all selfish from time to time, but what the research sought to better understand was the way people considered Machiavellian think.

The term “Machiavellian” is related to the Italian writer, politician and diplomat Nicolau Machiavelli, author of “The Prince”. In the work, Machiavelli can perfectly trace the cold profile of the main character, who can be described as manipulative, calculating, treacherous and without empathy.

The behavior of the main character of "The Prince" is commonly seen in our society. There are many people who are willing to exploit others just for their own benefit, and this issue of ethical and social conduct is often studied by behavioral scientists, who try to understand what is behind the way people act with others.

In another study in Hungary, scientists observed the reactions of two groups of students: one was made up of slightly Machiavellian people and the other was considered highly Machiavellian. From this division, with the help of imaging, scientists could see the differences in brain activity between these individuals.

The volunteers were told they would work in pairs, and each person received a $ 5 bill and then decided how much they would like to "invest" in their partner. At this point, participants believed their partners were other students, but in fact they were dealing with a computer program.

This program had two forms of action: either returning the investment fairly, with 10% above or below the initial value, or giving unfair results, returning only 30% of the initial value. After the initial interaction, it was the computer program that invested in the participants, but they themselves had to decide whether to make a fair return or not.

This exercise showed that when less Machiavellian participants decided how much return they would give their partners, they acted according to social normals, rewarding their peers fairly at first and punishing them when they received the unfair reward.

The most Machiavellians gave unfair rewards to all, regardless of the rewards they had received. At the end of the investment game, the Machiavellians ended up with the most money.

Analyzes of the participants' brain activities revealed that when the computer program gave Machiavellians a fair reward, the most active brain areas were those related to creativity and inhibition. For scientists, this could mean that these people inhibited their natural instincts to act reciprocally and fairly, while at the same time figuring out a better way to take advantage of their partner.

Apparently more manipulative and disingenuous people are not selfish because they are unfair, but act selfishly at specific times, which is justified by their lack of empathy. Similarly, these people tend to exploit the goodwill of those who demonstrate fair and cooperative action.