Good Lamps Are the Best Police:Darkness Increases Dishonesty andSelf-Interested Behavior

摘要

Darkness can conceal identity and encourage moral transgressions; it may also induce a psychological feeling of illusory anonymitythat disinhibits dishonest and self-interested behavior regardless of actual anonymity. Three experiments provided empiricalevidence supporting this prediction. In Experiment I, participants in a room with slightly dimmed lighting cheated more andthus earned more undeserved money than those in a well-lit room. In Experiment 2, participants wearing sunglasses behavedmore selfishly than those wearing clear glasses. Finally, in Experiment 3, an illusory sense of anonymity mediated the relationshipbetween darkness and self-interested behaviors. Across all three experiments, darkness had no bearing on actual anonymity,yet it still increased morally questionable behaviors. We suggest that the experience of darkness, even when subtle, may inducea sense of anonymity that is not proportionate to actual anonymity in a given situation.