title: The Valjean effect: Visceral states and cheating.
abstract: Visceral states like thirst, hunger, and fatigue can alter motivations, predictions, and even memory. Across 3 studies, we demonstrate that such "hot" states can also shift moral standards and increase dishonest behavior. Compared to participants who had just eaten or who had not yet exercised, hungry and thirsty participants were more likely to behave dishonestly to win a prize. Consistent with the specificity of motivation that is characteristic of visceral states, participants were only more likely to cheat for a prize that could alleviate their current deprived state (such as a bottle of water). Interestingly, this increase in dishonest behavior did not seem to be driven by an increase in the perceived monetary value of the prize. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: Kelley School of Business, Indiana University.
authors.forename: Elanor F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Cornell University.
authors.forename: David
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6698-8694
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pizarro
authors.affiliation: Fuqua School of Business, Duke University.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ariely
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, University of Vermont.
authors.forename: James D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Weinberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D008192:Deception; D003657:Decision Making / Q000941:ethics*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009014:Morals; D009042:Motivation / Q000941:ethics*; D013894:Thirst / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult