Dishonest behavior damages ability to read other people's emotions: study

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, September 17, 2019
Adjust font size:

CHICAGO, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A study posted on the website of the University of Michigan (UM) on Monday found that individuals who engage in dishonest behavior become less accurate at reading the emotions of other people.

To reach the conclusions, the researchers devised experiments that involved rolling a die, predicting the result and being paid for correct predictions.

For some participants, it was possible to cheat to earn more money; while for others, it was not possible to cheat. Then, the participants were asked to gauge the emotions of other individuals: one experiment used actors in videos while another used real people in the lab.

"We found that there is a relationship between behaving badly and the ability to read other people's emotions," said Julia Lee, an assistant professor of management and organizations at the UM's Ross School of Business.

Cheating in the study led to a reduced ability to accurately interpret the feelings of others.

Reading emotions is an important skill, Lee said, because people can't offer to help someone who's struggling if they can't even tell that something is wrong.

"Building a compassionate organization starts from being able to read other people's emotions accurately," she said.

Moreover, the researchers found that after cheating once, the reduced ability to read emotions made the participant even more likely to cheat a second time.

"It's a vicious cycle," Lee said. "We had one study that showed that as a result of this vicious cycle, you're also more likely to dehumanize other individuals."

That fuels negative biases toward out-group members, and that is a huge problem for a lot of organizations trying to have a more inclusive workplace, she said.

The paper has been published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Enditem

Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation.
ChinaNews App Download
Print E-mail Bookmark and Share

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)

No comments.

Add your comments...

  • User Name Required
  • Your Comment
  • Enter the words you see:   
    Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.
Send your storiesGet more from China.org.cnMobileRSSNewsletter