Morgan BellHonesty improved by a pair of photocopied eyes
June 28th 2006 12:03
The mere suggestion of being watched can have staggering effects on honesty, a new psychological study has found.
The study was conducted in the coffee room of the psychology department at Newcastle University, UK, where Melissa Bateson and colleagues put up a photocopied picture of either flowers or a pair of eyes directly above a price list for tea and coffee. The coffee room typically operated under an "honesty box" system, with no one watching if tea and coffee was honestly paid for.
Researchers found that staff paid 2.76 times as much for their drinks in weeks with eyes above the price list when compared with weeks with flowers.
“Frankly we were staggered by the size of the effect,” Gilbert Roberts, one of the researchers, told New Scientist.
If people need to be seen to be honest, the researchers suggest that altruism in humans is not in fact innate, but is based on cynical self-interest instead.
Are we really such selfish beings?
(image from flickr.com)
and yes, I'm still watching you...
The study was conducted in the coffee room of the psychology department at Newcastle University, UK, where Melissa Bateson and colleagues put up a photocopied picture of either flowers or a pair of eyes directly above a price list for tea and coffee. The coffee room typically operated under an "honesty box" system, with no one watching if tea and coffee was honestly paid for.
Please comment on this post! I'm watching you...
Researchers found that staff paid 2.76 times as much for their drinks in weeks with eyes above the price list when compared with weeks with flowers.
“Frankly we were staggered by the size of the effect,” Gilbert Roberts, one of the researchers, told New Scientist.
If people need to be seen to be honest, the researchers suggest that altruism in humans is not in fact innate, but is based on cynical self-interest instead.
Are we really such selfish beings?
(image from flickr.com)
and yes, I'm still watching you...
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