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DYK #10: Would you rather let something bad happen than cause it?

March 10, 2011

Did You Know, Psychology

Did you know…

That people are more inclined to let something bad happen, than cause something bad to happen?

Recently, researchers proved this.

For instance, did you ever get too much money, say $10, in return at a register? What did you do? Did you return the money?

Most people don’t return the money because they think it’s okay (I admit, I’ve done this myself). However, you probably wouldn’t even consider swiping the $10 if the cashier wasn’t looking.

Psychologists always considered this to be a mistake of the brain – an error in moral calculations.

The researchers, DeScioli and colleagues, thought differently. Their hypothesis was that people were actually (unconsciously) making a strategic plan about how to act based on how others might judge them.

Their experiment looked as following:

They set up an experiment that used people recruited through Amazon.com’s Mechanical Turk website, which pays people small amounts of money to do tasks. Two or three people were involved in each test. Each time, a “taker” had the option to take part of a dollar away from an “owner”-or to let a 15-second timer run out, in which case the whole dollar was automatically transferred from the owner to the taker, but with a 15 cent penalty leaving the owner with nothing and the taker with 85 cents. Sometimes a third person was involved, to judge the taker’s actions and take money away from them for acting badly; sometimes they weren’t.

When the takers knew that someone was judging them, 51 percent of participants let the timer run out, even though this was worse for everyone than taking 90 cents; the owner got nothing (instead of keeping 10 cents) and the taker only got 85 cents (instead of 90). This percentage was significantly greater than the 28 percent who let the timer run out when there was no third person judging them.

And it turned out they were right to do that; the third person judged them more harshly if they outright took the 90 cents than if they let the timer run out and deprived the owner of the whole dollar. So people were more likely to do a bad thing by omission if they knew they could be punished for it. (-Medicalnewstoday.com)

Interesting, don’t you think?

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About Manon Eileen

Dutch 23-year-old SF/F YA writer, BSc in Psychology and soon MA in Global Criminology. She is creative, easily bored, and craves tea all the time. Also: "science isn't about why, it's about why not" - Cave Johnson.

View all posts by Manon Eileen →
  • http://eduClaytion.com Clay Morgan

    Interesting but not surprising. My conspiratorial brain always has me convinced that I’m being watched, which given my belief in a higher power makes that technically true.

    I like the story about a new pastor in town that gone a bus and was given back too much change by the bus driver. After thinking it over the pastor went to the driver. “You gave me too much money back.”

    “I know,” said the driver. “I wanted to see if you were an honest preacher.”

    • Manon Eileen

      Hi Clay, thanks for stopping by!

      Thanks for sharing that story, it made me smile! :D

  • http://doingthewritething.wordpress.com Sonia M.

    Interesting! I try really hard to be honest in everything I do. Not sure what I’d do with the experiment situation but I wouldn’t keep too much change. Although, when a server fails to charge us for a drink, I’m reluctant to point it out. Not because I want the free drink but because I don’t want the person to get in trouble.

    • Manon Eileen

      Hi Sonia, thanks for stopping by! :)

      Trying to be as honest as you can is.. Well, honorable. I too, try to do so, but like you, I also sometimes worry I might get another in trouble. But now I know the above rules I wonder maybe we just tell ourselves we don’t want to get someone in trouble, while in fact it’s a selfish act we’re not conscious of. Cognitive dissonance!

  • http://www.techsurgeons.com TechGuy Jay

    Interesting article.

    I’ll admit it, it depends. My mood, their level of service, how much money it was, and if the person at the counter would get in trouble for the error.

    In the last year or so, I’ve kept about $2, returned a nickel, and returned $220.
    Case 1 – cashier was a jerk talking on the cell phone and not paying attention to me
    Case 2 – helpful, friendly cashier was happily chatting with me and grabbed a nickel instead of a penny
    Case 3 – moderately friendly cashier inadvertently gave me way too much cash back. My first thought was that I didn’t want her to get in trouble.

    I’ve also walked away having received less change than I should have a few times. Again depends on the same criteria though admittedly my threshold for loss is lower than my acceptance of gain.

    -TG

    • Manon Eileen

      Hiya Techguyjay! Thanks for reading and for your comment! :)

      Wow, $220 is quite an error! Did she get in trouble for giving you that much to much back? I hope not, but it’d be interesting.

      I also think we’re (people) more inclined to base what we do on how the other treat us, as you demonstrate.

      Thanks for sharing!

  • http://cmstewartwrite.wordpress.com/ CMStewart

    I didn’t follow the math, but once I mailed a pen back to a supermarket. I had accidentally put the pen in my purse at the customer service counter. I told a friend about it and he told me I was crazy (in all seriousness). Yeah, crazy for mailing back a pen. lol

    • Manon Eileen

      Rofl! Well, that’s commendable, I guess, although I can imagine they laughed when they opened your package, lol!

  • http://piperbayard.wordpress.com Piper Bayard

    Interesting experiment, Manon. I know that, when cashiers make mistakes, it is often far more time and trouble for them to correct it than to just let the few cents go so that is my consideration when I decide whether or not to say something. Generally, if it’s over a dollar, I’ll say something, but if under, it often puts them in a bad situation, having to void a sale, call over a manager, or look up an actual price, and they are not pleased at having to do any of that. For what it’s worth, I also make the same distinction when the error is against me. I figure it all comes out in the wash. Thanks for the info. All the best.

    • Manon Eileen

      Hi Piper!

      Interesting observations… Thanks for sharing!

      All the best!

  • http://dustjacketdispatch.tumblr.com DustJacketDispatch

    It’s that wonderful mentality of “I’ll ignore my surroundings and mind my own business.” We see a ton of it here in DC (and, actually, the East Coast in general). Taking an interest in something, many people feel, leads to far more complications than resolutions. Go humanity!

    • Manon Eileen

      I don’t think that’s just DC or the East Coast. I’m in The Netherlands, which is quite some distance removed from you, and I recognize that as well. But I’m not sure whether that’s entirely related to this experiment. The results of the above experiment suggest the contrary; they don’t ignore the surroundings at all, but instead base their actions on them.

      Thanks for stopping by!