
Inequality in a Just World
13th December 2025 | Community
A well researched bias in thinking, that to a greater or lesser extent many people hold, is known as the just world hypothesis. It links to ideas like karma and sayings like “what goes around comes around.” Essentially, it is the belief that people get what they deserve. Such thinking can help to give life meaning, it can help us to cope with hardship, it can promote prosocial behaviour, and we might feel a bit better if we believe those who wrong us will get theirs one day. It can encourage the belief that those (including ourselves) who are doing nicely must deserve to. It can encourage the glorification of leaders or those perceived as successful, and it can promote trust where none is due.
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