The research conducted by American Psychological Association studied cynicism and income level of people from different countries and observed that a high level of cynicism was associated with lower income especially in countries that had antisocial behavior.

Olga Stavrova, lead author on the study, said that the reason behind this could be that cynical individuals are less likely to trust others and therefore avoid collaborative projects and to forgo the related opportunities.

Stavrova concluded that their findings may help encouraging people to adopt a more benevolent and idealistic view of human nature and trustful attitude towards their peers.