How Power Makes People Selfish

“Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely,” said the British historian Lord Acton. Unfortunately, this is not entirely a myth. A great deal of research—especially from social psychology—lends support to Acton’s claim: Power leads people to act in impulsive fashion, both good and bad, and to fail to understand other people’s feelings and desires. UC Berkeley psychologist Dacher Keltner explains some of the ways in which power encourages individuals to act on their own whims, desires, and