TY - JOUR

T1 - The attenuating effect of mortality salience on dishonest behavior

AU - Schindler, Simon

AU - Reinhard, Marc André

AU - Dobiosch, Sandra

AU - Steffan-Fauseweh, Ina

AU - Özdemir, Galip

AU - Greenberg, Jeff

PY - 2019/2/15

Y1 - 2019/2/15

N2 - People are easily tempted to engage in dishonest behavior when an incentive is given and when full anonymity is provided. In the present work, we investigated existential threat as a motivational factor that might reduce dishonest behavior. Research based on terror management theory has found that mortality salience increases the motivation to fulfill salient values of one’s cultural worldview. Assuming the concept of honesty is important to human societies, we hypothesized that mortality salience will reduce dishonest behavior when the concept of honesty is salient. In two experiments, we assessed dishonesty under full anonymity by applying a die-under-the-cup paradigm with the expected value serving as a stochastic baseline for honest behavior. Both experiments provided support for our hypothesis. Given an incentive to cheat, when the concept of honesty was cognitively activated by a word-search puzzle (Study 1) or by the name of the dice game (i.e., “honest game”; Study 2), mortality salient participants showed not only less dishonest behavior but actually honest behavior.

AB - People are easily tempted to engage in dishonest behavior when an incentive is given and when full anonymity is provided. In the present work, we investigated existential threat as a motivational factor that might reduce dishonest behavior. Research based on terror management theory has found that mortality salience increases the motivation to fulfill salient values of one’s cultural worldview. Assuming the concept of honesty is important to human societies, we hypothesized that mortality salience will reduce dishonest behavior when the concept of honesty is salient. In two experiments, we assessed dishonesty under full anonymity by applying a die-under-the-cup paradigm with the expected value serving as a stochastic baseline for honest behavior. Both experiments provided support for our hypothesis. Given an incentive to cheat, when the concept of honesty was cognitively activated by a word-search puzzle (Study 1) or by the name of the dice game (i.e., “honest game”; Study 2), mortality salient participants showed not only less dishonest behavior but actually honest behavior.

KW - Cheating

KW - Dishonest behavior

KW - Honesty

KW - Mortality salience

KW - Terror management theory

KW - Psychology

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85055167089&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s11031-018-9734-y

DO - 10.1007/s11031-018-9734-y

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:85055167089

VL - 43

SP - 52

EP - 62

JO - Motivation and Emotion

JF - Motivation and Emotion

SN - 0146-7239

IS - 1

ER -