Behavioral economist Dan Ariely studies the bugs in our moral code: the hidden reasons we think it’s OK to cheat or steal (sometimes). Clever studies help make his point that we’re predictably irrational — and can be influenced in ways we can’t grasp.
Why we think it’s OK to cheat and steal
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Most of us pretend we don’t know ofcourse …. no hidden bugs in most people in this area .. Only those who .. erm .. really did not wanna know who they were/are … or should I say .. what they were/are ..
I’m a saint ofcourse …
or should I say .. devil has been put under mind control …
I remember a similar scenario from when I was a penniless art student in Cheltenham. A fellow student came into college one day, grinning about how he’d made himself a small fortune just by daring to dredge up some coins that people had thrown in a fountain in one of the malls.
It seemed like a victimless crime, so I decided to try it myself. I was a bit hesitant, but after a couple of minutes weighing up the potential embarrassment against the potential rewards I stuck my entire arm into the water and dredged up about 62 pence, which was pretty pathetic.
Unfortunately, my crucial delay in gathering the confidence to grab the coins had attracted an audience from the surrounding shops, and I was promptly told off by a shopkeeper for stealing money from local charities (unknown to me, the money went to local worthy causes). So for my trouble I got my jacket sleeve soaked in stagnant water, a sound telling off, the humiliation that went with that and no money.
I don’t know whether that would have qualified me for Derren’s “Heist” show, but it put me off ever trying it again!
There was a gentleman on radio 4 recently talking about the effects of wording signs on people’s behaviour. One example was along the lines of arizona national park having problems with people taking home bits of the petrified forest. the original sign was worded to inform visitors that thieves were stealing 14 tonnes per year of what was their national heritage…a small peice at a time.
Obviously this was trying to inform the public that taking even a small sample was quickly damaging the park….
However, when they tested this wording versus signs in another area which simply said don’t remove wood as it will damage the forest…. their was around a five fold reduction of stealing!
If you let people think that alot of people are doing an action (taking wood) then it allows them to say, well lots of other people are doing it, so why shouldn’t I!
amazing what a small change in wording can do, and also makes me wonder what damage the tabloid press do everyday!
FYI: Author of the research and a number of books on this was Robert B. Cialdini
That was absolutely fascinating, thank you for sharing it
Wish I had some headphones so I could watch this…I don’t believe the gentleman on Radio Four! I would be shocked at such sign – “fourteen tonnes!!!” – and guiltily put down that lovely petrified stick and attempt a casual whistle…no, seriously, I get his point about how signs are worded, but maybe my mates and I are in the (five times) minority when we are much more impressed by the explanatory first-time wording…perhaps it is that the second one sounds like it might be threatening retribution, whereas the first one is appealing to people’s morals, and could be taken by the unscrupulous to be ‘namby-pamby’…
that was a really great speech.the whole idea about replacing money with “tokens” makes people feel less bad about stealing/cheating is so true