Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Moral science confirms people behave better when they think they’re being watched

#1
C C Offline
http://theconversation.com/moral-science...hed-114384

EXCERPT: . . . As the saying goes, one good turn deserves another, and in our experiment, it seemed this was true. Those people who followed the golden rule earned more from the negotiations, compared to the people who chose to go against the golden rule. But while the figure of 93% indicates that most people followed the golden rule, which sounds encouraging, we found that if people knew their behaviour was not being observed by their opponents, then the percentage of golden rule behaviour dropped by nearly 20%, and only 73% of participants stuck to the rule.

This finding echoes observations from social psychology that show people behave in a nicer way when they know they are being watched. Indeed, even a poster with eyes on it changes how people behave. And it seems when the chance of being observed is low, people are more prone to evade a moral code.

[...] We found that gender, socio-economic status or cultural factors didn’t make a difference to the golden rule behaviour, which verifies its universality. We also found that people’s golden rule behaviour was not driven by their monetary pursuit – which might come as a surprise – but rather it is the power of the moral code itself that drives the behaviour. This is in part down to the notion of “projection bias”, where people have the tendency to project their own thoughts, preferences, and behaviour onto other people

[...] What this all shows is that so-called “good behaviour” is dependant on on a number of factors –- including whether a person believes they are being observed, or not. This indicates that although most people do follow some form of moral code, to what extent they abide by these rules does differ situation to situation. (MORE - details)
Reply
#2
RainbowUnicorn Offline
everyone has a cell phone and most want to play the hero
how does that correlate to bystander effect in a modern setting ?

how many of those bystanders do not use/have/view weekly... social media ?
Reply
#3
Syne Offline
You know who believes they are being observed the most? Those who believe in an omnipresent god.
Reply
#4
Magical Realist Online
If you have to be watched to behave morally, you are not a very moral person. That's the kind of psuedo-morality we get from religion: fear of getting into trouble rather than real empathic compassion.
Reply
#5
Syne Offline
(Jul 4, 2019 07:23 PM)Magical Realist Wrote: If you have to be watched to behave morally, you are not a very moral person. That's the kind of psuedo-morality we get from religion.

This mechanism works the same, whether you're religious or not. So since secular people don't believe they are observed as much, they literally behave less morally.
And it's not a matter of only behaving morally when observed. It's just being more mindful of morality when others can judge you. Any way you look at it, secular people are less moral, by far. Not only are their moral standards very lacking to begin with, but they don't even apply what little morals they do espouse unless they think someone might see them.

That's a "it isn't wrong if I don't get caught" morality...which can hardly be called moral at all.
Reply
#6
Magical Realist Online
Quote:Any way you look at it, secular people are less moral, by far.

Proof? Studies?

Morality isn't obeying the rules because you fear punishment. It's being authentically concerned and compassionate towards others and doing the right thing because you want to.
Reply
#7
Syne Offline
(Jul 4, 2019 07:45 PM)Magical Realist Wrote:
Quote:Any way you look at it, secular people are less moral, by far.

Proof? Studies?

Anti-Atheist Prejudice Is Entrenched Around The Globe, Even Among Atheists

People of all faith leanings, including non-believers, are apparently in general agreement on their shared distrust of atheists.

A new study published Monday in the academic journal Nature Human Behaviour found that people around the world are more likely to believe that atheists are capable of committing “extreme moral violations” than people who are religious.

The results “show that across the world, religious belief is intuitively viewed as a necessary safeguard against the temptations of grossly immoral conduct, and atheists are broadly perceived as potentially morally depraved and dangerous,” wrote a team of international researchers.

In other words, the researchers added, “people perceive belief in a god as a sufficient moral buffer to inhibit immoral behavior.”


A new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life reveals that 92% of Americans believe in some kind of god. Other research suggests that atheists are among the least trusted minority groups. Consider a recent paper in the American Sociological Review by Minnesota researchers Penny Edgell, Joseph Gerteis, and Douglas Hartmann. They report that 39.6% of people polled say that atheist do "not at all agree with my vision of American Society." This score is higher than any other group by a considerable margin. A 2007 Gallup poll shows that 53% of Americans would not vote for an atheist president, and another Gallup poll suggests that 84% of Americans think the nation is not ready for an atheist in the White House. The major source of concern inmorality. Many people worry that the faithless lack a moral rudder. Without God, morality loses its foundation.
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/...t-morality


https://theconversation.com/are-religiou...oral-84560
Reply
#8
Magical Realist Online
Quote:Other research suggests that atheists are among the least trusted minority groups

Quote:In other words, the researchers added, “people perceive belief in a god as a sufficient moral buffer to inhibit immoral behavior.”

Merely the biased perception of the 92% of god believers. No proof of less morality. Where's your studies on actual morality?
Reply
#9
Syne Offline
(Jul 4, 2019 07:45 PM)Magical Realist Wrote: Morality isn't obeying the rules because you fear punishment. It's being authentically concerned and compassionate towards others and doing the right thing because you want to.

Who said morality was following rules? Any other straw men you'd like to argue? O_o

(Jul 4, 2019 08:01 PM)Magical Realist Wrote:
Quote:Other research suggests that atheists are among the least trusted minority groups

Merely the biased perception of the 92% of god believers. No proof of less morality. Where's your studies on actual morality?

No, that was among non-believers too. Try reading some time. Rolleyes
It literally said "Even Among Atheists".
Reply
#10
Leigha Offline
What's that saying...''your character is determined by what you do when no one is looking.''

It's funny, when you see people driving 90 mph past you on the high way, but a cop is up ahead, those same people slam on their brakes until they pass said cop.

Imagine if there were no laws at all, just a lawless land of mayhem. If you've watched a season or two of ''The Walking Dead,'' probably a good glimpse of what that might look like. There were the people who seemed to always do the ''right thing,'' despite the chaos and lawlessness, but there were those who took full advantage of the fact that a legal system ceased to exist, pillaging, murdering, and taking whatever they could. Putting themselves first, and to hell with anyone else.

Things that make ya wonder.
Reply


Possibly Related Threads…
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Moral people can now protect life Syne 37 832 Jun 27, 2022 04:18 AM
Last Post: Syne
  People choose healthier food when with outsiders for fear of being negatively judged C C 1 87 May 12, 2022 11:37 PM
Last Post: confused2
  People who see themselves as ‘professional’ are more likely to behave unethically C C 1 96 Mar 12, 2022 01:33 PM
Last Post: elte
  The older people think a black child is, the more likely they are to wrongly see... C C 1 88 Aug 4, 2021 10:38 PM
Last Post: Syne
  Would extraterrestrial AIs be moral if they lacked phenomenal consciousness? C C 0 333 Jan 15, 2017 09:45 PM
Last Post: C C
  Being moral: You can never do enough? + Can liberal values be absolute? C C 1 480 Oct 21, 2016 10:24 PM
Last Post: Syne



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)