Shine OnWe’re more moral in the morning, study finds
As the day goes on, we get more…unethical?
In a newly published study out of Harvard and the University of Utah, researchers found that people were 20 to 50 per cent more likely to lie, cheat, or behave dishonestly in the afternoon than in the morning.
The "morning morality effect" study is published in the journal Psychological Science.
"As ethics researchers, we had been running experiments examining various unethical behaviours, such as lying, stealing, and cheating," researchers Maryam Kouchaki of Harvard University and Isaac Smith of the University of Utah's David Eccles School of Business explain. "We noticed that experiments conducted in the morning seemed to systematically result in lower instances of unethical behaviour."
To measure dishonest behaviour by study participants at different times of day, researchers assigned 327 men and woman various tasks that would offer opportunities to cheat.
One task required subjects to solve math problems, some of which were impossible to solve, for a reward of 5 cents per correct answer. They were then asked to report their own scores. The researchers found that afternoon participants were more likely to cheat and claim higher scores than morning participants.
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"Ethical decisions often require self-control, which past research has found to be dependent on the body's energy stores, much like a muscle: if it is heavily taxed, it eventually becomes exhausted," Scientific American explains.
According to the Harvard Business Review, "the experience of ordinary activities over the course of the day appears to gradually deplete people's ability to regulate themselves, an effect that's most pronounced for those who are the most honest."
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"Unfortunately, the most honest people, such as those less likely to morally disengage, may be the most susceptible to the negative consequences associated with the morning morality effect," the researchers write. "Our findings suggest that mere time of day can lead to a systematic failure of good people to act morally."
The study suggests that sleep is important in renewing those energy stores with sleep deprivation putting people at greater risk of making unethical decisions.
Moral of this story? Get plenty of sleep to fight off unethical weakness — and if you need someone to make an important (and honest) decision for you, ask them in the morning.
