The Rigged Game: How Privilege Changes Who We Are
What happens to the human mind when it is given a blatantly unfair advantage? A fascinating psychological experiment using a rigged game of Monopoly reveals that privilege rapidly rewires our brains—lowering empathy, increasing entitlement, and causing us to genuinely believe we “earned” our unearned success.
While exploring the psychological effects of wealth and status for the Humblepics Book Collection, I uncovered research from UC Berkeley that completely dismantled the myth of pure meritocracy. The study demonstrates how quickly the human mind justifies its own advantages. Here is the breakdown of the “rigged game” experiment, the hidden cognitive costs of privilege, and the psychological antidotes required to stay grounded.
Does Money Change You? The Science of a Rigged Game
1. The Setup: A Comically Unfair Advantage
Imagine sitting down to play Monopoly. But this game is different. Before the first roll, a coin toss decides your fate. Your opponent is assigned to be the “poor” player. You are assigned to be the “rich” player.
Your advantages are not subtle:
- You start with twice the money.
- You collect twice the salary every time you pass Go.
- You roll two dice while your opponent only rolls one, allowing you to circle the board twice as fast.
Both you and your opponent know the game is completely, comically unfair. You know your advantage is based on pure luck. So, how do you play?
2. The Transformation: Winning a Rigged Game
As the 15-minute game unfolded during the UC Berkeley experiment, the “rich” players began to visibly change.
- They moved their pieces more loudly, aggressively slamming them on the board.
- They displayed dominant body language and celebrated their “success” more openly.
- They even ate more pretzels from a shared bowl on the table, a behavior psychologically associated with a heightened sense of deservingness and entitlement.
But the most shocking part came after the game. When the “rich” players were asked why they had won, nobody mentioned the initial coin flip. They didn’t mention starting with double the money or the extra die. Instead, they talked about their “brilliant strategy” for buying properties. They attributed a victory—one mathematically guaranteed by a rigged system—entirely to their own individual skill and intelligence.
3. The Psychology of “I Earned This”
This experiment is a powerful, sped-up metaphor for a psychological process that happens in society every day. Our brains are hardwired to rationalize our own good fortune. When we experience a systemic advantage (whether it’s inherited wealth, geographic location, or powerful connections), our minds instinctively find ways to justify it. We begin to believe we earned our success purely through merit, and by extension, we unconsciously assume that those with less must have earned their failure.
As research consistently shows, this “internal attribution” of success triggers a cascade of negative social effects:
- Empathy and compassion decrease.
- Feelings of entitlement and self-interest increase.
- Willingness to cheat or break rules goes up.
It’s not that wealthy people are inherently “bad.” It is that the psychological experience of privilege actively changes how you process the world, forcing a cognitive blind spot that prioritizes self-interest and frames success as a solo act.
4. The Antidote to Entitlement
Are we doomed to this selfish behavior? The research says no. The good news is that these psychological effects are highly malleable. The researchers found that small “nudges” of empathy could completely reverse the effect of privilege.
- Simply reminding wealthy participants of the benefits of cooperation made them just as egalitarian as poorer participants.
- Watching a short 46-second video about childhood poverty made rich participants just as generous with their time to help a stranger as anyone else.
The problem isn’t the people; it’s the psychological “bubble” that privilege creates. The solution is to consciously pop that bubble. You can do this by:
- Acknowledging the “Game”: Actively remembering the vital role of luck, circumstance, and community in your own life.
- Practicing Gratitude: Consciously giving thanks for the external factors that have helped you succeed.
- Seeking “Nudges”: Intentionally exposing yourself to stories and perspectives outside of your immediate social circle.
You don’t have to feel guilty about your success. But by remembering that no one truly wins a rigged game all by themselves, you can stay more connected, empathetic, and human.
🧠 Upgrade Your Cognitive Toolkit: Recognizing our innate biases is just the beginning. To truly overcome these psychological blind spots and make clearer, more objective decisions in business and life, you need a robust mental framework. Read our definitive guide: Master Your Mind: Why a “Latticework” of 52 Mental Models is Your Secret Weapon.
Recognizing that the game is rigged is only the first step. To navigate this uneven terrain effectively, one must also study the rules of influence found in Robert Greene: The Art of Power.