We sign our names to various documents all the time. Some signatures seal a legal contract. Others pledge us to an action. Now a study finds that when and where someone sign a document can influence the likelihood of them being honest or cheating.
我们总是在各式各样的文件上签名。有些签名证实合同开始生效。其它的签名则代表对自己行为的承诺。最近有一项研究发现,签署文件的时间地点会影响人们选择诚实待人还是欺骗。
Scientists had people sign more than 13,000 auto insurance forms—one group signed at the top of the form, the other at the bottom. And those who signed at the top admitted to nearly 2,500 more miles of usage than those who signed at the bottom. Which translated into a $48 difference in annual premiums.
科学家们让人们在超过一万三千份汽车保险单上签字——一组在表单顶部签字,其他则在底部签字。而相比那些在底部签字的受试者,在顶部签字的受试者承认的汽车行驶的里程要多几乎两千五百英里。体现在保费上的差异是每年48美元。
According to the researchers, because the top-signers put their names on the document before they were even tempted to fabricate information, they are less likely to act dishonestly. The study is in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
根据研究人员,因为在顶部签字的人还没来得及试图捏造信息就已经把名字签上了。他们不太可能表现得不诚实。这项研究发表在《国家科学研究院学报》汇刊上。
Many people routinely deceive themselves to rationalize dishonest behavior. The $345-billion gap between what people should be paying in U.S. taxes and what they claim isn't just due to chronic liars. It also depends on normally honest people stretching the truth. Perhaps having taxpayers sign their forms before filling them out would cut down on that stretching.
许多人经常自欺欺人,将不诚实的事实合理化。美国税收有三千四百五十亿美元缺口,他们声称不能把这仅仅归罪于习惯性说谎者。因为一些诚实的人通常也会夸大事实。也许在让纳税人在填表之前先签上姓名会缩小夸大的事实。
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