Would you lie if you think it might become true in the future? Apparently, people are willing to do that.
Research published in the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, shows that people will support statements that are false if they think they could turn true in the future.
The study comprised six experiments where researchers showed various questions to over 3600 participants. They were then asked to think on whether these currently false statements would become true.
For example, one example consisted of MBA students who were asked to consider if a friend lying about a particular skill on the resume is okay if they were to acquire that skill in the future. Most students thought it was not that unethical.
“Our findings are concerning, particularly given that we find that encouraging people to think carefully about the ethicality of statements was insufficient to reduce the effects of imagining a future where it might be true,” said Daniel Effron, a professor of organizational behavior at the London Business School and co-author of the study.
What’s worse is that participants were also willing to share false information on social media if they imagined them coming true.
