A new study suggests that one way to improve ethical behavior is to simply anticipate temptation.
The study, published in the journal Psychological Science, found that people who were forewarned about an upcoming temptation were more likely to resist it than those who were not.
"Our findings suggest that simply being aware of the potential for temptation can help people to make more ethical choices," said study author Francesca Gino, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School.
The study involved two experiments. In the first experiment, participants were asked to play a game in which they could earn money by rolling a die. The die was rigged so that participants would win more money if they cheated.
Before the game began, some participants were told that they might be tempted to cheat, while others were not. The results showed that the participants who were forewarned about temptation were less likely to cheat than those who were not.
In the second experiment, participants were asked to complete a survey that included questions about their ethical beliefs. The participants were also asked to indicate how likely they were to cheat in various hypothetical situations.
The results showed that the participants who were more likely to anticipate temptation were also more likely to report ethical beliefs and to say that they would not cheat in hypothetical situations.
Gino said that the findings of the study have implications for real-world situations.
"Our findings suggest that one way to reduce unethical behavior is to simply make people aware of the potential for temptation," she said. "This could be done through training programs, public awareness campaigns, or even simple reminders."
Gino also said that the study provides insight into why good people sometimes do bad things.
"When people are faced with a temptation, they may not always have the time or the resources to think through the ethical implications of their actions," she said. "By anticipating temptation, people can give themselves the opportunity to make more thoughtful and ethical choices."
