The title is a tad ironic as it casts the reader as 'us', and wealthy people as 'them'. It doesn't empathize with the rich, it ostracizes them. Of course, they are rich, so the balance is already in their favor, but read it this way: The Poor are different - and not in a good way, studies suggest. Second, I am no fan of the Tea Party, but the Tea Party has nothing to do with these studies. MSNBC is just pushing an agenda there. That said, when I used to deliver pizza, the best tips were generally from people that lived in apartments, and the worst were generally from people that lived in large houses. My guess is that when you have wealth, your worries are different then those of the majority, therefore you don't easily empathize with the majority. Maybe they are checking their cell phone because they are worried about a business transaction, or their kid traveling Europe or something.