14 DAY TRIAL // A group of researchers with the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Harvard Business School, discovered in a joint study that people who are trained to think about time instead of money are more likely to experience improvements in their moral compass, as well as a reduction in their cheating behaviors.
This effect occurs because thinking about time makes people more likely to engage in self-reflection, a type of mental state that makes everybody less prone to engage in negative behaviors. The study was led by Harvard scientist Dr. Francesca Gino and UP investigators Dr. Cassie Mogilner.
This research is not meant to address high-profile cases of cheating – including cases of scams or frauds – but rather the more mundane form of cheating, where people behave unethically when they are presented with even the slightest opportunity to cheat, PsychCentral reports.
“Our results suggest that finding ways to nudge people to reflect on the self at the time of temptation, rather than on the potential rewards they can accrue by cheating, may be an effective way to curb dishonesty,” Gino explains. Details of the research appear in the latest issue of the journal Psychological Science.