Why are rich people and attractive people more likely to be jerks?

Let's try out an inductive model for why this could emerge, even if we imagine that those characteristics don't cause people to be jerks.

If someone is a jerk to you, do you call them out on it, or do you let it slide?

If you call them out on it, two things might happen:

Perhaps they realize that they were a jerk, and after some embarrassment perhaps they grow or change.

Or, they think that you are wrong or aggressive and don't want to talk to you in the future–or might even push back metaphorically or physically.

Whether to call someone out comes down to two factors:

Do you think you'll interact with this person again directly or indirectly?

If not, it's not worth the downside risk for no upside.

Do you think the other person will have power relevant to you in the future?

If so, then the downside risk of them not wanting to work with you is significant.

In some cases power is contextual–a heavily cited professor won't get special treatment at the car wash.

But in other cases, power is consistent across many contexts.

Two forms that have that characteristic: rich people, and attractive people.

So rich people and attractive people (among others) are less likely to get called out for being a jerk, and thus more likely to go on being a jerk, possibly unbeknownst to themselves.