Johannesburg - People are more likely to lie and cheat in the afternoon than in the morning.
Even the stresses of an ordinary day deplete our ability to be moral and make us more likely to act unethically, according to new research in the journal Psychological Science.
Researchers Maryam Kouchaki of Harvard University and Isaac Smith of the University of Utah in the US had been running experiments on lying, cheating and stealing and noticed results always differed between the morning and afternoon.
It was already known that humans have lower self-control after a lack of rest or after making repeated decisions, but Kouchaki and Smith wanted to examine whether normal activities during the day would be enough to deplete self-control and increase dishonest behaviour.
They used a variety of experiments, including asking participants to identify patterns for a monetary reward or asking them if they could solve problems, some of which were unsolvable.
Participants tested between 8am and noon were less likely to cheat than those tested between noon and 6pm – a phenomenon that the researchers call the “morning morality effect”.
They also found that more honest people were more profoundly affected
“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,” they write.
“Our findings suggest that mere time of day can lead to a systematic failure of good people to act morally.
“For instance, organisations might need to be more vigilant about combating the unethical behaviour of customers or employees in the afternoon than in the morning.
“Whether you are personally trying to manage your own temptations, or you are a parent, teacher or leader worried about the unethical behaviour of others, our research suggests that it can be important to take something as seemingly mundane as the time of day into account.” - The Star