So what do we do?
This cascade of self-perpetuating,
pernicious, negative effects
could seem like something that's spun out of control,
and there's nothing we can do about it,
certainly nothing we as individuals could do.
But in fact, we've been finding
in our own laboratory research
that small psychological interventions,
small changes to people's values,
small nudges in certain directions,
can restore levels of egalitarianism and empathy.
For instance, reminding people
of the benefits of cooperation,
or the advantages of community,
cause wealthier individuals to be just as egalitarian
as poor people.
