Cues of being watched enhance cooperation in a real-world setting.
We examined the effect of an image of a pair of eyes on contributions to an honesty box used to collect money for drinks in a university coffee room. People paid nearly three times as much for their drinks when eyes were displayed rather than a control image. This finding provides the first evidence from a naturalistic setting of the importance of cues of being watched, and hence reputational concerns, on human cooperative behaviour.
Bateson
Melissa
M
Evolution and Behaviour Research Group, School of Biology and Psychology, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK. melissa.bateson@ncl.ac.uk
Nettle
Daniel
D
Roberts
Gilbert
G
D001290:Attitude; D026686:Beneficence; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010465:Perception; D012919:Social Behavior; D035502:Trust