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Across cultures, people often wrestle with whether having lots of money is a blessing, a burden, or a moral problem. According to our new research, how someone views billionaires isnt just about economics. Judgment also hinges on certain cultural and moral instincts, which help explain why opinions about wealth are so polarized. The study, which my colleague Mohammad Atari and I published in the research journal PNAS Nexus in June 2025, examined survey data from more than 4,300 people across 20 countries. We found that while most people around the world do not strongly condemn having too much money, there are striking cultural differences. In wealthy, more economically equal countries such as Switzerland and Belgium, people were more likely to say that having too much money is immoral. In countries that are poorer and more unequal, such as Peru or Nigeria, people tended to view wealth accumulation as more acceptable. Beyond economics, we found that judgments about excessive wealth are also shaped by deeper moral intuitions. Our study drew on moral foundations theory, which proposes that peoples sense of right and wrong is built on six core valuescare, equality, proportionality, loyalty, authority, and purity. We found that people who highly value equality and purity were more likely to see excessive wealth as wrong. The equality result was expected, but the role of purity was more surprising. Purity is usually associated with ideas about cleanliness, sanctity, or avoiding contaminationso finding that it is associated with negative views about wealth gives new meaning to the phrase filthy rich. As a social psychologist who studies morality, culture, and technology, Im interested in how these kinds of judgments differ across groups and societies. Social and institutional systems interact with individual moral beliefs, shaping how people view culture war issues such as wealth and inequalityand, in turn, how they engage with the policies and conflicts that emerge around them. Why it matters Billionaires wield growing influence in politics, technology, and global development. The richest 1% of people on Earth own more wealth than 95% of people combined, according to Oxfam, an organization focused on fighting poverty. Efforts to address inequality by taxing or regulating the rich may, however, rest on a mistaken assumptionthat the public generally condemns extreme wealth. If most people instead view amassing wealth as morally justifiable, such reforms could face limited support. Our findings suggest that in countries where inequality is highly visible and persistent, people may adapt by morally justifying their structural economic system, arguing that it is fair and legitimate. In wealthier, more equal societies, people appear more sensitive to the potential harms of excess. While our study shows that most people around the world do not view excessive wealth as morally wrong, those in wealthier and more equal countries are far more likely to condemn it. That contrast raises a sharper question: When people in privileged societies denounce and attempt to limit billionaires, are they shining a light on global injusticeor projecting their own sense of guilt? Are they projecting a moral principle shaped by their own prosperity onto poorer countries, where wealth may represent survival, progress, or even hope? What still isnt known One open question: How do these views change over time? Do attitudes shift when societies become wealthier or more equal? Are young people more likely than older generations to condemn billionaires? Our study offers a snapshot, but long-term research could reveal whether moral judgments track broader economic or cultural changes. Another uncertainty is the unexpected role of purity. Why would a value tied to cleanliness and sanctity shape how people judge billionaires? Our follow-up study found that purity concerns extended beyond money to other forms of excess, such as disapproving of having too much ambition, sex or fun. This suggests that people may see excess itselfnot just inequalityas corrupting. Whats next Were continuing to study how cultural values, social systems, and moral intuitions shape peoples judgments of fairness and excessfrom views of wealth and ambition to knowledge and AI computing power. Understanding these gut-level, moral reactions within larger social systems matters for debates about inequality. But it can also help explain how people evaluate technologies, leaders, and institutions that accumulate disproportionate, excessive power or influence. The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work. Jackson Trager is a Ph.D. candidate in psychology at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Below, Zelana Montminy shares five key insights from her new book, Finding Focus: Own Your Attention in an Age of Distraction. Zelana is a behavioral scientist who is pioneering a transformative approach to mental health and resilience. She has built a career advising and speaking for Fortune 500 companies, global organizations, and academic institutions. Her recent clients include American Express, Coca-Cola, Estee Lauder, Bank of America, UCLA, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. She appears regularly on The Doctors, Good Morning America, The Today Show, and Access Hollywood. Whats the big idea? We live in a world that is quietly, relentlessly unraveling our attention and, with it, our capacity to think clearly, feel deeply, and live purposefully. Finding Focus is about how to come home to yourself and what matters most. Focus isnt about what we pay attention to; its about how we move through the world. Listen to the audio version of this Book Biteread by Zelana herselfbelow, or in the Next Big Idea App. 1. Focus is not about forcing attention. Focus is about creating the conditions for attention. We treat focus like a musclepush harder, power through, tune outbut attention doesnt work that way. Its more like breath. The more we grip it, the more it slips away. Think of a snow globe. When you stop shaking it, the flakes settle. Clarity rises. Focus works in the same way. The real work of harnessing attention is not about willpower, but rather its about the conditions. Its about clearing the clutter mentally, physically, and emotionally so that your attention can finally exhale. 2. We are addicted to avoiding discomfort. Lets be honest, most of us dont pick up our phones out of curiosity. We pick them up to escape boredom, stillness, and that quiet ache just beneath the surface. One study found that people preferred electric shocks to sitting alone with their thoughts. Thats how intolerable stillness has become. But if we want to reclaim our attention, we must reclaim our capacity to stay with the pause, the discomfort, the urge, because distraction isnt random. Its patterned, protective, and emotional. If we want to change it, we have to start in the discomfort. 3. Do you remember how it feels to focus? We talk about focus like its purely mental: a task, a strategy, a checkbox. But real focus is also a state. Its a sensation, and when youre in it, you feel lit up and anchored, calm but alive. The problem is that weve been so overstimulated, scattered, and flooded with inputs that we hardly even recognize that feeling of focus anymore. Its a sensation, and when youre in it, you feel lit up and anchored, calm but alive. Thats why I created something called The Focus Baseline. Its a guided process to help re-attune to your own internal clarity and remember what being present feels like in your body, not just your brain. Once you feel it, you can find it again because you know what to access. That becomes your compass through the noise, chaos, and overwhelm. 4. Theres no clarity without grief. This is the quiet truth underneath so much of our distraction. When we finally slow down, put down the phone, close the tabs, and turn off the noise, the first thing that rises is not peace. Its grief and loss. Grief over how long weve been on autopilot. Grief over what weve missed, what weve buried, and what we didnt let ourselves feel. One reader wrote to me after finishing the book and said, When I stopped distracting myself, I realized Id been numbing the ache of being alive. Thats it right there. Focus asks us to sit with that ache, not to fix it or outrun it. In making room for it, we give that ache less power over us, and slowly, over time, it dulls. That room and that honesty are what clear the fog. Its what makes space for something real, and in that realness, we can reconnect with our attention and focus. 5. Hold focus and tenderness at the same time. Weve been taught that focus means grit and control. But the most powerful, grounded people arent the ones who shut down their feelings to get things done. Theyre the ones who know how to hold both clarity and compassion, direction and depth, presence and heart. Thats the new frontier. Not just the laser-sharp minds that are super productive, but also steady nervous systems that can handle the task switching that comes with tender focus. We dont need more control. We need more coherence. People who can stay regulated under pressurewho can stay human under stressare the ones who will lead us forward. We dont need more control. We need more coherence. If your focus feels fractured, if your mind feels foggy, and if your days feel like a blur, know that youre not broken, failing, or alone. Its literally all of us, and youre responding wisely and humanely to a world that has been at odds with our biology for far too long. But there is another way. You dont have to outsource your attention to the loudest thing in the room. You dont have to perform productivity while feeling completely numb. You can build a different rhythm that feels less like chasing and more like coming home. So much becomes possible when you quiet the noise inside and out and return to your life. Stay grounded, stay human, and above all, stay close to what matters. Enjoy our full library of Book Bitesread by the authors!in the Next Big Idea App. This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.
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Two decades of coaching leaders and developing myself as a leader have taught me a key lesson: Leadership isnt a destination. Just when you think youve reached the top of the mountain, look upyoull see another peak waiting. The truth is, theres no secret sauce for leading yourself or others. Leadership is an ever-evolving process of learning and growing. The best leaders never stop evolving. Here are four lessons every great leader eventually learns. 1. Humility is a strength Humility is often mistaken for weakness. In one survey, more than half of fifth and sixth graders described humility as embarrassed, sad, or shy. Adults often confuse it with humiliation. But groundbreaking research tells a different story. Bradley Owens and David Hekman found that humble leaders dont assume success is guaranteed. They test their progress, revise plans, and seek feedback. They empower others to take initiative and celebrate team wins over personal credit. Far from soft, humility gives leaders flexibility and strength. They avoid reacting from ego or abusing power, and instead lead from integrity, self-control, and emotional intelligence. 2. Great leaders learn from others Strong leaders know they dont know it all. They constantly seek wisdom from others and expand their perspective beyond their own experience. Remember the saying: If youre the smartest person in the room, youre in the wrong room. The best leaders deliberately put themselves in spaces where they can learn, grow, and connect with people further down the path. They remain lifelong students. 3. Patience gives you an edge Patience doesnt always get attention and it wont make any headlines, but its one of leaderships most underrated strengths. (I cover patience extensively in my new book.) Research shows that patient people make more progress toward tough goals, feel more satisfied when they achieve them, and experience less stress and depression. Impatient leaders tend to jump to conclusions and act impulsively. Patient leaders, by contrast, are steady and rational. In conflict, they listen first, respond calmly, and diffuse tension. That kind of presence builds trust and resilience in teams. 4. Self-awareness is nonnegotiable In a study reported by Harvard Business Review, teams with less self-aware team members made worse decisions, coordinated poorly, and struggled with conflict compared with teams led by self-aware individuals. Self-awareness is the foundation of emotional intelligence. Leaders who cultivate it see the bigger picture, regulate emotions, and empathize with others. As emotional intelligence expert Daniel Goleman put it: If your emotional abilities arent in hand, if you dont have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you cant have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far. In closing, remember: Leadership is about committing to the climb. And heres the real test: You dont prove your leadership on the easy days when everything goes smoothly. You prove it in the moments when your patience is tested, your humility is questioned, and your self-awareness is the difference between escalating a conflict or inspiring a breakthrough. Keep climbing. Keep growing. The best leaders arent defined by the peak theyve reached, but by their willingness to take the next step. Marcel Schwantes This article originally appeared on Fast Company’s sister publication, Inc. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.
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