If it seems that San Franciscans are getting more entitled and self-absorbed, a series of psychology studies performed at UC Berkeley indicates there could be a scientific reason: the city’s increasing wealth.

Paul Piff, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and Social Behavior at UC Irvine (he moved from UC Berkeley just a few weeks ago), has spent the past decade conducting about 50 studies on how wealthy people and poorer people behave in the same situations.

Again and again, he’s found a common thread: Rich people are more likely to behave unethically even if they get very little benefit....

“I think what we’re assessing in these studies is a general lack of sensitivity to the needs of other people,” Piff said. “The wealthier you are, the less attuned you are to other people around you.”