Top Highlights

• And of course, once we understand the social infectiousness of dishonesty, we could take a cue from the Broken Windows Theory to combat the social contagion of cheating.
• cheating is not driven by concerns about standing out. Rather, it shows that our sense of our own morality is connected to the amount of cheating we feel comfortable with. Essentially, we cheat up to the level that allows us to retain our self-image as reasonably honest individuals.
• The fudge factor suggests that if we want to take a bite out of crime, we need to find a way to change the way in which we are able to rationalize our actions. When our ability to rationalize our selfish desires increases, so does our fudge factor, making us more comfortable with our own misbehavior and cheating. The other side is true as well; whe...
• Say it’s 2007, and you’ve just accepted a fantastic banking job on Wall Street. Your bonus could be in the neighborhood of $5 million a year, but only if you view mortgage-backed securities (or some other new financial instrument) in a positive light. You’re being paid a lot of money to maintain a distorted view of reality, but you don’t notice the...
• To understand ego depletion, imagine that you’re trying to lose a few extra pounds. One day at work, you are eyeing a cheese danish at the morning meeting, but you’re trying to be good, so you work very hard to resist the temptation and just sip your coffee instead. Later that day, you are craving fettuccine alfredo for lunch but you force yourself...