Just thinking about money can make you more evil, researchers say

[n2doc]

By Simone Foxman


Money may not be everything, but it’s probably more than you think. In fact, the effects of moolah on the mind are so strong that money can make you a bad person without realizing it.

That’s the conclusion drawn by new research (paywall) from Maryam Kouchaki at Harvard University and Kristin Smith-Crowe of the University of Utah. In four separate studies, they found that people who were first primed with money-related words or images were more likely to make unethical decisions or lie than those who had seen neutral ones. Thoughts about money made the study’s participants more likely to agree to things like hiring a candidate because he had confidential information that could benefit the company, or stealing a ream of paper from their employer for their home printer.

So, pretty much, thinking about or seeing a greenback might make you a Scrooge. “It’s pretty amazing to us that these subtle cues, environmental cues have this big of an effect,” Smith-Crowe told Quartz in an interview. “[Participants] were conscious that they were seeing words related to money but they were not conscious that these things were actually affecting their decisions and behavior.”

The study was prompted by a desire to figure out what prompts humans to forsake social bonds in favor of personal interest, Smith-Crowe explains. “When you’re engaged in business, you’re often making decisions based on cost-benefit analysis and you’re thinking about self-interest, which may be the company’s interest. But you’re not really thinking about other things.”


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http://qz.com/94189/just-thinking-about-money-can-make-you-more-evil-researchers-say/

[Fumesucker]

1. The love of money is the root of all evil so thinking about money is like a branch or a limb

CREAM, yes?

[SamKnause]

2. Money

I call bullshit on this study.

When I think about money, I think about all the family, friends and organizations (Democracy Now, Link TV, animal shelters, food kitchens, college tuition, etc.) that I could help.

I have a list typed up of all the people and organizations that I would help if I won the lottery, or came into an unexpected windfall.

I do not want to be rich.

I do not think the majority of rich people set a good, or moral example.

I would keep just enough to ensure I was never hungry, homeless and could afford medical care.

I would give the rest away as fast as possible.

I have always lived my life in this manner.

I have given away food, money, personal possessions and car.

I never expected anything in return.

I never wanted anything in return.

Helping others is one of the greatest joys of life.

That is my Atheist outlook and I am sticking to it.

[uppityperson]

3. "May" "can" = it all depends on the person and situation. This quote says it all....

"getting people to behave ethically is more about creating the right culture, environment and cues than it is about setting formal ethical standards."