Study finds wealthy individuals more likely to take children's sweets, wins 2026 Ig Nobel prize

A study that links wealth to a higher propensity for stealing sweets from children was among the winners of the 2026 Ig Nobel Prizes, awards that celebrate research that first provokes amusement and then reflection. The investigation, highlighted by science editor Ian Sample in an interview with Madeleine Finlay, found that participants with higher socioeconomic status were statistically more likely to take confectionery offered to a child in a controlled experiment. Researchers suggest the result may stem from a combination of reduced empathy, a sense of entitlement, or a diminished perception of moral risk among affluent individuals, though they caution that further work is needed to isolate the underlying mechanisms.

The ceremony also honoured a range of unconventional projects, including a paper that identified a specific trait—reliability under stress—as a surprisingly valuable quality in friendships, and another that offered a biomechanical definition of kissing based on pressure patterns and facial muscle activity. Collectively, the awarded studies underscore the Ig Nobel’s mission to spotlight creative, off‑beat inquiries that challenge assumptions while prompting broader discussion about human behaviour and social norms.