How the wealthy withdraw from relationships

Washington Post

Findings from Emily Bianchi of Emory University and Kathleen Vohs of the University of Minnesota, illustrate how having more (or less) money can radically alter the fabric of our relationships with other people, changing how often we socialize — and with whom.
In examining several decades of household survey data, Bianchi and Vohs find that as people make more money, they spend less time socializing with others; they spend more time alone. And when they socialize, they spend more time with friends than with family members or neighbors.

There's a fairly robust body of research showing that "having or thinking about money appears to heighten self-reliance and dampen attention and responsiveness to others," as Bianchi and Vohs put it. In lab experiments, people who are primed to think of money become more motivated to work and less interested in socializing. Exposure to money diminishes compassion toward others. Wealthy people tend to disengage from social interactions