Karma and honest behavior: An experimental study

Abstract

We examine the impact of karma beliefs on honest behavior. Previously studied strategies to promote honesty are either susceptible to rationalization or lack universality due to their religious ties. Karma, though rooted in religious contexts, is widely understood and accepted by secular society today. Its supernatural quality and simultaneous compatibility with atheism make it a widely appealing mechanism for prosocial behavior. Using two large online Prolific samples of US residents (N = 1,045 and N = 2,149), we test whether priming participants with karmic thoughts increases honesty in two anonymous online games: a coin toss where a “winning” outcome results in additional pay-out of $1, and a die roll where additional pay-out is determined according to the number on the die. We find that when there is a financial stake to winning, approximately 40% of participants lie completely in the coin toss and 11% of participants lie at least partially in the die roll. Furthermore, when partial lying is a possibility (die roll sample), we find that karmic nudges causally and significantly reduce dishonesty. Our results suggest that reminding people about karma has the potential to reduce people's propensity to cheat.

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