Cogs in the Machine: The Prioritization of Money and Self-Dehumanization

Abstract

The dehumanization of other people is an unfortunately common occurrence that drives discrimination and conflict. We examined when and why the self can also be dehumanized. Across six studies, we found a reciprocal relationship between self-dehumanization and the prioritization of money. Participants who prioritized money (vs. control participants) attributed less humanness to themselves (Studies 1–4), and in turn, chose to socially distance themselves from a coworker (Study 4). Participants led to self-humanize (vs. control participants) were less likely to prioritize money over other goals (Studies 5A-6). The human nature dimension of humanness, which refers to attributes that separate humans from inanimate objects, was more sensitive to money-prioritization than was the human uniqueness dimension, which refers to attributes that separate humans from nonhuman animals. Alternative explanations based on affect and self-esteem were ruled out. These results suggest that the prioritization of money is at odds with our perceptions of human nature.