People usually gain power through traits and actions that advance the interests of others, such as empathy, collaboration, openness, fairness, and sharing. When they start to feel powerful or to enjoy a position of privilege, however, those qualities begin to fade. The powerful are more likely than other people to engage in rude, selfish, and unethical behavior. My research has shown that the 19th-century historian and politician Lord Acton was right when he wrote that power corrupts.