Why Shady Deeds Are More Likely to Happen in the Dark

Original source: SimoleonSense.com .

This article has been making rounds in the blogosphere…enjoy!

P.S. I posted the original research for this article  several months ago, here.

Conclusion: when investing in shady companies wear baggy clothing.

Click Here To Read: Why Shady Deeds Are More Likely to Happen in the Dark

Introduction (via TIME)

Human beings can be a devious lot. At some point, even the most moral of us have skulked or sneaked or filched something we weren’t supposed to — even if it were just a cookie from the kitchen. Of all the things that get our sneakiness juices going, there is nothing like a little darkness.

There has always been a correlation between how ethically we behave and how brightly our surroundings are lit — most evil deeds are done under cover of darkness, and the rarest and most brazen crimes are those committed in broad daylight — not least because we’re less likely to be caught in the act after nightfall. But in a new study published in the journal Psychological Science, psychologists Chen-Bo Zhong and Vanessa Bohns of the University of Toronto and Francesca Gino of the University of North Carolina suggest that it’s not only about the threat of discovery. There are other reasons darkness gives us a waiver to misbehave.

Interesting (via Time)

Philip Zimbardo found that if subjects were wearing dark hoods and baggy clothes, they were more inclined to administer electric shocks to other volunteers than they otherwise would be.