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Honesty Speaks a Second Language
Author(s) -
BerebyMeyer Yoella,
Hayakawa Sayuri,
Shalvi Shaul,
Corey Joanna D.,
Costa Albert,
Keysar Boaz
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
topics in cognitive science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.191
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1756-8765
pISSN - 1756-8757
DOI - 10.1111/tops.12360
Subject(s) - honesty , foreign language , psychology , first language , temptation , outcome (game theory) , social psychology , lying , language assessment , cognitive psychology , linguistics , economics , medicine , pedagogy , philosophy , mathematical economics , radiology
Abstract Theories of dishonest behavior implicitly assume language independence. Here, we investigated this assumption by comparing lying by people using a foreign language versus their native tongue. Participants rolled a die and were paid according to the outcome they reported. Because the outcome was private, they could lie to inflate their profit without risk of repercussions. Participants performed the task either in their native language or in a foreign language. With native speakers of Hebrew, Korean, Spanish, and English, we discovered that, on average, people inflate their earnings less when they use a foreign language. The outcome is explained by a dual system account that suggests that self‐serving dishonesty is an automatic tendency, which is supported by a fast and intuitive system. Because using a foreign language is less intuitive and automatic, it might engage more deliberation and reduce the temptation to lie. These findings challenge theories of ethical behavior to account for the role of the language in shaping ethical behavior.