Testosterone gives you the courage to cheat, while cortisol gives you the excuse. Scientists came to this conclusion after a series of experiments. Details.
Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin and Harvard University conducted an experiment. 117 volunteers were asked to complete several math tasks, set their own grades and report on their own how many problems they could solve. The more they could solve, the more money they received. Saliva samples were taken from volunteers before and after testing.
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It turned out that participants who had elevated levels of testosterone and cortisol before the experiment were more likely to overestimate the number of tasks solved. “High testosterone reduces the fear of punishment and increases the desire for reward. As for cortisol, it often leads to stress, which is very draining, ”says one of the authors of the study, psychology professor at the University of Texas at Austin, Robert Josephs (Robert Josephs). Remarkably, cortisol levels dropped after the cheating, and participants reported that their stress levels also dropped—as if cheating had an anti-stress effect. “Testosterone gives you the courage to cheat, while cortisol gives you the excuse. Reducing stress after a dishonest act powerfully stimulates the pleasure center in the brain. Unfortunately, all these physiological and psychological effects eventually reinforce the habit of such behavior.‘ adds Josephs.
Dan Ariely
D. Ariely “The whole (truth) is about untruth. Why and how we cheat
The cognitive psychologist argues convincingly that we all cheat to some extent. And if we do not deceive, then at the very moment when we think so, we simply deceive ourselves.
Remarkably, elevated levels of one of the two hormones do not lead to cheating. In addition, previous studies have shown that, when the whole group is rewarded for completing the task, rather than one participant, testosterone does not have such an effect. Cortisol levels, in turn, can be reduced with the help of yoga, meditation, physical activity.
“Our results show that the fight against dishonest behavior using the “stick” (threat of punishment) or “carrot” (appeal to ethics and morality) methods may not be effective. By understanding the physiological underpinnings of this behavior, we can learn how to deal with it effectively,” sums up Robert Josephs.
Подробнее см. J. Lee et al. «Hormones and ethics: Understanding the biological basis of unethical conduct», Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, July 2015.