Morality - Pacific Standard

Thoughts of Faith and God Decrease Tolerance for Ambiguity

May 16, 2013 • By Tom Jacobs • Leave a Comment

It’s clear that religious faith confers a variety of benefits. Being part of a community of fellow believers has been shown to boost both mental and physical health. But at what cost? New research suggests one disturbing answer: Thoughts of faith and God apparently spur people to view the world in black-or-white terms. A just-published study finds exposure to Christian concepts or imagery increases one’s intolerance for ambiguity. This dynamic was demonstrated in a variety of experiments conducted in three different countries: Germany, Austria, and the United States. Writing in ... Read More

More like this: Culture, Findings
Tags: Morality, Prejudice, Religion, Religiosity

Thinking of Science Strengthens Moral Fiber

March 19, 2013 • By Tom Jacobs • Leave a Comment

Want to be a better person? Spend more time thinking about science. That’s the implication of newly published research, which finds people who study science—or even are momentarily exposed to the idea of scientific research—are more likely to condemn unethical behavior, and more inclined to help others. “Thinking about science leads individuals to endorse more stringent moral norms,” report psychologists Christine Ma-Kellams of Harvard University and Jim Blascovich of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Their research is published in the online journal PLOS One. The ... Read More

More like this: Findings
Tags: Moral Values, Morality, Science

On Moral Values, Liberals More Prone to Stereotype Than Conservatives

December 12, 2012 • By Tom Jacobs • Leave a Comment

A protester Santa Barbara, California in 2007 (PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK)

Those conservatives are appalling: They couldn’t care less if people get hurt. And liberals? They think anything goes, and have no concept of the meaning of loyalty. Caricatures? Absolutely. But such stereotypes are widely held among Americans, newly published research confirms, with liberals particularly clueless about the concerns of conservatives. Regarding issues of morality, “people overestimate how dramatically liberals and conservatives differ,” psychologists Jesse Graham, Brian Nosek and Jonathan Haidt write in the online journal PLoS One. Specifically, their research ... Read More

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Tags: Ideology, Morality, Politics

Further Evidence Links Creativity, Dishonesty

November 26, 2012 • By Tom Jacobs • Leave a Comment

The Dark Side of Creativity: Original Thinkers Can Be More Dishonest is the title of a provocative paper published precisely one year ago. Francesca Gino of Harvard Business School and Dan Ariely of Duke University presented evidence that highly creative people are more likely to engage in unethical activities, apparently because they are better at finding ways to justify such behavior. While those who value creativity conceded the logic of that equation, many were reluctant to embrace that uncomfortable conclusion. But newly published research confirms those results, and adds a ... Read More

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Tags: Creativity, Morality

Kids Just Wanna Be Helpful

August 1, 2012 • By Tom Jacobs • Leave a Comment

There’s a school of thought that considers young children essentially pure. “All things are good as their creator made them,” wrote philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau, “but everything degenerates in the hands of men.” Newly published research provides some support for his supposition. “From an early age, humans seem to have genuine concern for the welfare of others,” concludes a research team led by Robert Hepach of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Writing in the journal Psychological Science, he and his colleagues argue that before they are ... Read More

More like this: Culture & Society, Findings
Tags: Children, Morality

Should We Let Violinists’ Bad Behavior Slide?

June 25, 2012 • By Tom Jacobs • Leave a Comment

Imagine, for a moment, you’re a judge at a music competition. You learn that a highly promising violinist has been sabotaging her competitors’ performances. Do you punish her for this behavior? Surprising new research from Switzerland suggests the answer may depend upon your line of work. “People turn out to be choosy with respect to the (ethical) norms they are willing to enforce in particular circumstances,” writes a research team led by Christine Clavien of the University of Lausanne’s Department of Ecology and Evolution. Its study, published in the online journal PLoS ... Read More

More like this: Culture & Society, Findings
Tags: Morality, Music

When Black and White Aren’t Black and White

October 18, 2009 • By Lee Drutman • Leave a Comment

Quick! What color is sinfulness? What about moral purity? If you're like most people, you naturally see sinfulness as tinged in black, while moral purity comes through in soft whites. And if you are the kind of person who really values cleaning products, or, for some reason, you were just thinking about immorality, the mental coloration of these abstract concepts is even stronger. So demonstrates doctoral student Gary D. Sherman and professor Gerald L. Clore, both of the University of Virginia Psychology Department, in a recent article from Psychological Science. But why? Is this just a ... Read More

More like this: Culture, Culture & Society
Tags: Colors, Justice, Morality, Perception, Psychology, Race

Is That Behavior Ethical? The Powerful Have a Different Perspective

August 4, 2009 • By Tom Jacobs • Leave a Comment

Are rules made to be broken — or obeyed? Newly published research suggests your answer to that question depends largely upon whether you are mulling it over from a position of power. “In determining whether an act is right or wrong, the powerful focus on whether rules and principles are violated, whereas the powerless focus on the consequences,” states the study “How Power Influences Moral Thinking,” in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. “For this reason, the powerful are also more inclined to stick to the rules — irrespective of whether this has positive or ... Read More

More like this: Culture, Culture & Society, Findings
Tags: Ethics, Morality, Power, Psychology

Morals Authority

April 27, 2009 • By Tom Jacobs • 15 Comments

Jonathan Haidt is hardly a road-rage kind of guy, but he does get irritated by self-righteous bumper stickers. The soft-spoken psychologist is acutely annoyed by certain smug slogans that adorn the cars of fellow liberals: "Support our troops: Bring them home" and "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." "No conservative reads those bumper stickers and thinks, 'Hmm — so liberals are patriotic!'" he says, in a sarcastic tone of voice that jarringly contrasts with his usual subdued sincerity. "We liberals are universalists and humanists; it's not part of our morality to highly value ... Read More