Even power that arises by chance

The political situation in Korea is not a problem of the democratic system itself but rather an issue rooted in people. 

Similarly, companies with traditional Confucian values and strong hierarchical structures face comparable challenges. Even small amounts of power can intertwine with personal greed, leading to problems. 

While people are often the root cause, they are not easily changed. This is why democracy is a challenging journey that requires a mature sense of civic responsibility.

In 1998, Professor Dacher Keltner from UC Berkeley conducted the famous "Cookie Monster" experiment.

In this experiment, three people were grouped together, and one person was randomly assigned as the leader of each group. The leader's role was to evaluate the discussions of the other team members. After forming the groups, each team was given a simple task to solve.

At the end of the discussion, each group was given a plate of cookies—four cookies for the three members. The experiment observed how the cookies were shared and who would take the extra one.

So, who ended up eating the last cookie?

In most cases, it was the group leader who grabbed the last cookie without hesitation. They showed no reluctance, didn’t consider their teammates’ feelings, and didn’t even bother cleaning up the crumbs left behind.

The experiment demonstrated that even randomly assigned power—or power gained by chance—can reduce a person's ability to empathize with others and lead to impulsive behavior.

Professor Ian Robertson from Trinity College Dublin further explained that power and testosterone (a male hormone) interact with each other. When someone gains power, their testosterone levels increase, and this elevated testosterone reinforces their sense of power, creating a positive feedback loop.

People who perceive themselves as powerful tend to speak louder and in a more dominant tone.

In 2016, although questions were raised about the reproducibility of some findings, there was another study that examined changes in testosterone levels based on body posture. In 2010, Professor Dana Carney at UC Berkeley conducted this experiment.

The experiment involved dividing 42 participants into two groups. One group was asked to adopt a relaxed and dominant posture, such as leaning back in a chair with their feet propped up on a desk. The other group took a submissive posture—sitting upright with hands neatly folded, feet together, and their upper body slightly leaning forward. Each posture was held for just one minute.

The results showed that those in the dominant posture had increased testosterone levels, while those in the submissive posture had lower levels.

Even "power gained by chance" can reduce empathy for others, and something as simple as body posture can influence testosterone levels, revealing a practical aspect of human interactions.

The moment we start perceiving something as a symbol of power or privilege, we unconsciously begin to change—our actions, gestures, and mindset all shift.

Power itself isn’t inherently bad. It’s the aggression and greed of those wielding it that lead to negative outcomes.