Aug 7, 2010-- As the saying goes, life at the bottom is nasty, brutish and short. For this reason, some might assume that people in lower social classes will be more self-interested and less inclined to consider the welfare of others than upper-class individuals. A recent study, however, flips this idea on its head. Experiments by Paul Piff and his colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley concludes that the poor, not the rich, are more inclined toward charity. The increased compassion among the poor, Piff suggests, increases generosity and helpfulness, and promotes a level of trust and cooperation that may be essential for survival during hard times. (3923 reads)