The Psychology of Economic Inequality: How Income Gaps Shape Well-being, Values, and Behavior
Prof. Hongfei DU
Associate Professor
Department of Psychology
Beijing Normal University (Zhuhai)
Date: 6 November 2025 (Thursday)
Time: 14:00-15:30
Venue: E22-G004
Host: Prof. Xinyue ZHOU, Distinguished Professor in Marketing
Abstract
Rising economic inequality is a global phenomenon that shapes not only material conditions but also psychological experiences and behaviors. This talk presents a program of research examining how income inequality—both objective and perceived—affects people’s well-being, values, prosociality, and work behavior. Across large-scale surveys and experiments conducted in China, the United States, and cross-national samples, the findings converge on a consistent pattern: inequality heightens social comparison and status concerns, and shifts motivation toward self-focus and competition. People living in more unequal contexts report lower happiness and greater psychological distress, partly because they engage in more upward comparison and feel less social trust. Those perceiving higher inequality also place greater emphasis on self-enhancement values and less on benevolence, and they show reduced willingness to act prosocially, such as returning a lost wallet. Moreover, inequality encourages longer working hours, especially among disadvantaged and urban groups, reflecting intensified effort in competitive environments. Together, these studies reveal that economic inequality extends beyond income gaps, reshaping how people think, feel, and relate to others, with wide-ranging implications for psychological well-being and social cohesion.
Speaker
Prof. Hongfei DU earned his Ph.D. from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and currently serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, Beijing Normal University (BNU, Zhuhai). He serves as an Associate Editor for the British Journal of Social Psychology and the Asian Journal of Social Psychology, in addition to holding council and committee memberships within the Chinese Social Psychological Society and the Chinese Psychological Society. His research has been featured in international psychology journals, including Journal of Personality, European Journal of Personality, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Social Psychological and Personality Science and Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, with collaborative cross-national work appearing in Nature Human Behaviour, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Dr. Du’s findings have garnered broad academic attention, leading to invited presentations at the SPSP and AASP annual conventions, international media coverage by outlets like Pacific Standard, and an interview with the USA’s National Public Radio (NPR).
All are welcome!
