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Why are there so many petty tyrants, stubborn and outright psychopaths among those who are invested with power? Maybe the fact is that it is easier to break through to the top, neglecting the conventions and feelings of others? Researchers have found that even a brief experience of our power affects each of us.
Who among us has not noticed how colleagues, acquaintances and friends are transformed after being appointed to a high post – they become more rigid, demanding and intolerant? We say to ourselves: “No, this will not happen to me, I am not like that.” But research shows that even a small promotion, as well as a passionate desire to achieve it, can change behavior.
We start talking in raised tones
How do those in positions of power speak? Confidently, clearly, with an arrangement, often in a low voice. Here are just examples of this kind we often find in films and books. Directors and writers deliberately create the image of a person who is aware of his position and the power of influence on others. And how is it in real life?
Psychologists from the University of San Diego and Columbia Business School (USA) have found that when we feel we have power over other people, our voice involuntarily becomes higher and more monotonous. But how did the stereotype of the leader’s deep voice come about? The answer is simple: many politicians and professional speakers specifically work on their speech to make their voice sound more confident and persuasive.
People with power have less doubt about the correctness of their actions.
For example, the “Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher took public speaking lessons to speak in Parliament. But according to colleagues and subordinates, in conversations with them she changed: her voice became loud, high and even shrill.
We forgive ourselves what we would not forgive others
People with power have less doubt about the correctness of their actions – even if they condemn others for the same act. Psychologists Joris Lammers and Adam Galinsky asked participants in an experiment to remember a moment when they felt their power and superiority.
They “impressed” one that the superiority was well-deserved, and the other that they were just lucky. Then everyone was asked to evaluate the situation: someone found a forgotten bike and kept it for himself, instead of going to the lost and found office. Most of the participants condemned the actions of the person who appropriated the find. But when they were asked to imagine themselves in a similar situation, opinions were divided. Those who were confident in their “deserved” superiority, as a rule, considered themselves entitled to take a bicycle. According to the authors, their results explain why top managers and senior executives are more likely than others to disregard generally accepted rules – for them, the very possession of power becomes a kind of “green corridor”.
We put our desires above the rules of decency
Taking the last piece from the plate is considered mauvais ton. But the consciousness of one’s power turns out to be stronger than table etiquette if we are hungry or if we like the dish.
A study by psychologists Ducker Kelter, Deborah Grunfeld, and Cameron Anderson found that those who are convinced of their superiority are more likely to ignore conventions and, for example, take the last serving from the plate. In general, they behaved less cultured during the experiment – they made more noise, talked with their mouths full and left a mess around them.
We stop understanding other people’s feelings
An employee has just completed an important job that he has been working on for a month. If you are its leader, then most likely, without even looking closely at the result, you will easily throw: “Not good. Redo it.” And it’s not just about character. Power dulls the ability to show empathy.
The idea of our own power makes us more determined
According to psychologist Dacher Keltner, professor at the University of California (USA), “a person in authority is like a patient whose orbitofrontal cortex is damaged; this state is characterized by extreme impulsiveness and insensitivity towards others.
We often make decisions on our own
The notion of our own power makes us more determined. Psychologists at Stanford University (USA) divided the participants of the experiment into two groups. In one group there were those who considered themselves incapable of significantly influencing others, in the other, those who rather overestimated their power and significance. The hosts gave both groups a task: to try their luck by playing dice. Participants could roll the die themselves or ask others to roll for them.
A “strong” group has always acted independently. In the “weak” group, only 58% preferred this option. Those who feel that their fate is in their power have more confidence in their own strength. On the other hand, when the fate of tens, hundreds and thousands of people depends on the decision of one person, the price of excessive self-confidence can be too high.