A recent paper Time, Money and Morality reviewed in The Economist (Time is not money) offered insight into human behaviour that could help make the world a better place.
Authors Francesca Gino of Harvard and Cassie Mogilner of the University of Pennsylvania report the results of studies that show that people primed to think about money tend to be more immoral than they would if money is not on their mind. Conversely, results show that when people are primed to think about time, and to reflect on themselves, they are more honest, more true to themselves. That reminds me of Socrates’ saying “Know thyself”.
So, if we spend time thinking about money, consumption and stuff we are more likely to be dishonest. But if we realise that we haven’t got the time to do the things we want (like be with friends) or need (like repair ecology and fix human society), and reflect on our own personal dynamic, we might actually make the right decisions, change our behaviour and humanity could become enlightened, worthy and fixed!
Time is not money by The Economist
Abstract
Money, a resource that absorbs much daily attention, seems to be present in much unethical
behavior thereby suggesting that money itself may corrupt. This research examines a way to
offset such potentially deleterious effects—by focusing on time, a resource that tends to receive less attention than money but is equally ubiquitous in our daily lives. Across four experiments, we examine whether shifting focus onto time can salvage individuals’ ethicality. We found that implicitly activating the construct of time, rather than money, leads individuals to behave more ethically by cheating less. We further found that priming time reduces cheating by making people reflect on who they are. Implications for the use of time versus money primes in discouraging or promoting dishonesty are discussed.
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