X-Message-Number: 18555
From: Transoniq <>
Subject: cryo-envy...
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 19:12:33 -0800 (PST)

The cryonics community might want to take into account the human trait
demonstrated in the following study when deciding whether or not to push
growth. A safer tactic may be for cryonics organizations to be big enough
to be viable and defend themselves but not so big to be showing up on a
lot of radar screens. So far, we're either not noticed or written off as a
bunch of nuts - this can be frustrating, but it's not without its upside.
If folks actually thought cryonics worked there'd be hell to pay.

   The University of Warwick 
   
   New Research Shows Just How Much We Hate Winners Date :12/02/2002
   Type : Press Release
   
   New research by economists at the Universities of Warwick and Oxford
   has provided surprising information on just how much people hate a
   winner. It also shows what lengths human beings are prepared to go to
   damage a winner out of a sense of envy or fairness.
   
   The researchers, Professor Andrew Oswald of the University of Warwick
   and Dr Daniel Zizzo of Oxford, designed a new kind of experiment,
   played with real cash, where subjects could anonymously burn away
   other peoples money - but only at the cost of giving up some of their
   own money. Despite this cost to themselves, and contrary to economists
   usual assumptions, 62% of those tested chose to destroy part of other
   test subjects cash. In the experiment, half of all the laboratory
   earnings were deliberately destroyed by fellow subjects. Everyone in
   the laboratory sessions was anonymous and hidden. The subjects had
   only a computer terminal, into which they played, and in which they
   could see how much other people were winning.
   
   In each session, the test subjects began with a betting stage which
   gave them some money (about 10 pounds but sometimes much more)
   creating an unequal wealth distribution. In the final stage, the
   burning stage, subjects could if they wished eliminate (burn away)
   other peoples money but only by giving up some of their own cash
   winnings. At the most expensive level, they had to give up 25 pence to
   destroy 1 full pound owned by someone else. It was made clear to the
   subjects that burning others would reduce the cash of the person
   choosing to burn.
   
   The economists expected little burning, and especially that the
   laboratory subjects would stop destroying other peoples money once the
   price reached 0.25, but in fact they found that even this high price
   did little to stop people annihilating other peoples wealth. Most
   individuals still chose to hurt others, despite the large cost to
   their own pocket.
   
   The researchers found that those given who gained the most additional
   money at the betting stage, burned poor and rich alike , however
   disadvantaged laboratory subjects mainly targeted those subjects that
   they saw getting what they perceived as undeserved financial
   windfalls. The authors concluded that our experiment measures the dark
   side of human nature.
   
   The full paper is in PDf format at this link
   http://www.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/Economics/oswald/paris.pdf
   
   Professor Andrew Oswald, Professor of Economics
   University of Warwick Tel: 024 76 523510 (Office)
   01367 860005 (Home) Web http://www.oswald.co.uk
   email:  (office)
   (home)

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