Abstract
Although altruistic lies are considered moral, they can result in negative outcomes. In this study, we explored the effect of prior altruistic lying on subsequent self-interested lying. In Studies 1 and 2, we found a moral balance effect that individuals who previously chose to tell altruistic lies subsequently told more self-interested lies, while those who previously chose to be honest against helping others subsequently told fewer self-interested lies. In Study 3, we explored how attribution style influenced the effect of moral balance, revealing that the moral balance effect disappeared for the externally attributed participants. In Study 4, we examined whether contextual similarity affects the moral balance effect. We found that the moral balance effect disappeared when participants were directed to pay attention to differences between the self-interested and altruistic lying tasks. This research first included altruistic lies in the consideration of moral continuity, expanding the understanding of ethical behaviors.
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Acknowledgements
This research was supported by Humanity and Social Science Foundation of Ministry of Education of China (20YJC190001); Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2019A1515110193); Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Committee Stability Support Program (20200813121341001) ; Guangdong 13th-five Philosophy and Social Science Planning Project (GD20CXL06). This study was not a preregistered.
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Cai, S., Wu, S. Dark side of white lies: How altruistic lying impacts subsequent self-interested lying. Curr Psychol 43, 5090–5103 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04678-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04678-y