The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty

task in, 15–16

tax reporting and, 45–47

varying amount of money in, 18–20

varying probability of getting caught in, 20–22

Mazar, Nina, 15, 18, 31–32, 39, 45, 194, 261

McGwire, Mark, 156

McKenzie, Scott, 57, 263

Mead, Nicole, 104, 261

medical device reps, 80

medical schools, pharmaceutical companies’ influence in, 82

medicine, conflicts of interest in, 71–74, 78–82, 92–94

see also pharma reps

memento mori, 247

Middle Tennessee State University, 44–45

MIT:

Charm School at, 153

honor code study at, 41–42, 43

matrix task study at, 15–21

money:

directly stealing, 32–33

distance between our actions and, 34–37

monitoring or watching, as disincentive to cheating, 223–25, 227–28, 234–35

Montague, Read, 75

Moore, Don, 89

moral considerations, 4, 13, 14

amount of cheating and, 23, 27

cognitive flexibility and, 27–28, 186–87, 242

moral reminders, 39–52, 238, 248, 249–50

decline in effectiveness of, over time, 44n

honor codes and, 41–45

infectious nature of cheating and, 203–4

signing forms at top and, 46–51

Ten Commandments and, 39–40, 41, 44, 250

mortgage-backed securities, 83–85

Mulligan, David, 60

mulligans, 60–61, 63–64

“Myth of the King of Gyges” (Plato), 223

Nettle, Daniel, 224

New York Times, 82, 150

Nisbett, Richard, 163–64

nonmonetary objects, dishonesty in presence of, 32–34

stealing Coca-Cola vs. money and, 32–33

token condition and, 33–34

Norton, Michael, 123, 127, 131, 145, 260–61

not-for-profits, 232n

Odysseus, 98

Opus Dei, 250–52

Ozdenoren, Emre, 114–15

Palmer, Arnold, 62

parking tickets, 4

parole hearings, judges’ exhaustion and, 102–3

pharmaceutical companies, 93

impact in academia of, 82

pharma reps, 78–82

“dine-and-dash” strategy of, 79

doctors’ lectures and, 81

small gifts and free drug samples from, 78

Picasso, Pablo, 184

Pizarro, David, 250, 258

plagiarism, 213

cultural differences and, 242–43

Plato, 223

Pogue, David, 178–80

political action committees (PACs), 208–10

political organizations, 232n

politicians, cheating among bankers vs., 243

postal service, U.S., 188

Prada bags:

fake, 119, 122

real, given to author, 118–19, 122, 140

Predictably Irrational (Ariely), illegal downloads of, 137–39

preferences, creating logical-sounding reasons for, 163–64

prefrontal cortex, 169–70

Princeton University, honor code study at, 42–44

probabilistic discounting, 194

prostitutes, external signaling of, 120

prudence, principle of, 220n

punishment, 13, 52

cost-benefit analysis and, 5, 13, 14

self-cleansing, in resetting rituals, 250–52

Rather, Dan, 152

rationalization of selfish desires:

of Austen characters, 154–55

fake products and, 134–35

fudge factor and, 27–28, 53, 237

link between creativity and dishonesty and, 172

revenge and, 177–84

tax returns and, 27–28

see also self-justification

reason vs. desire, 97–106

cognitive load and, 99–100

ego depletion and, 100–106

exhaustion and, 97–98

“Recollections of the Swindle Family” (Cary), 246

religion:

reminders of moral obligations and, 45, 249–50; see also Ten Commandments

resetting rituals and, 249, 250–52

reminders:

of made-up achievements, 153–54, 238

see also moral reminders

resetting rituals, 249, 250–54

to change views on stealing, 252–53

self-inflicted pain and, 249, 250–52

Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa and, 253–54

résumés, fake credentials in, 135–36, 153

revenge, 177–84

annoyance at bad service and, 177–80

author’s tale of, during European travels, 180–84

Rich, Frank, 150

right brain, 164–65

Roberts, Gilbert, 224

Rogers, Will, 55, 57

Rome, ancient:

memento mori reminders in, 247

sumptuary laws in, 120

Romeo and Juliet, 98

Rowley, Coleen, 215

Salant, Steve, 115

Salling, John, 152

Sarbanes-Oxley Act, 234

Schrödinger’s cat, 62–63

Schwartz, Janet, 80, 229, 259

Schweitzer, Maurice, 104, 260

scorekeeping, dishonesty in, 61–64

self-deception, 141–61

author’s personal experience of, 143–44

cheating on IQ-like tests and, 145–49, 151, 153–54, 156–57

“I knew it all along” feeling and, 149

Kubrick imitator and, 150–51

negative aspects of, 158–59

people with higher tendency for, 151

positive aspects of, 158

reducing tendency for, 156–57

reminders of made-up achievements and, 153–54, 238

repeating lies over and over and, 142–43

selfishness of Austen characters and, 154–55

in sports, 155–56

veterans’ false claims and, 152

white lies and, 159–61

self-flagellation, 250–52

self-image:

amount of cheating and, 23, 27

fudge factor and, 27–29

self-indulgence, rational, 115–16

selfishness, see rationalization of selfish desires

self-justification:

creation of logical-sounding explanations and, 163–65

link between creativity and dishonesty and, 172

mulligans and, 60–61

repositioning golf ball and, 61

see also rationalization of selfish desires

self-signaling, 122–26

basic idea of, 122

charitable acts and, 122–23

fake products and, 123–26, 135

what-the-hell effect and, 127–31

Sense and Sensibility (Austen), 154–55

service providers, long-term relationships with, 228–31

service records, exaggerated, 152–53

Sessions, Pete, 209

Sex and the City, 103–4

Shakespeare, William, 184