They needed a study for this? XD
I think the article generalized a bit. Not all poor are empathetic/empathic, not all rich are heartless. Having only lived on one side of the coin, though, all I can say is that it's good to have friends anywhere I go and would much rather be loved by as many as possible than be loathed by all. That's something I can bank on no matter where I go in life.
