Oxytocin promotes group-serving dishonesty
Abstract
Very little is known about the biological foundations of immoral behavior. We report here the results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment showing that the hormone oxytocin promotes group-serving dishonesty. Compared with participants receiving placebo, participants receiving oxytocin lied more to benefit their groups, did so quicker, and did so without expectation of reciprocal dishonesty from their group members. A control setting ruled out that oxytocin drives self-serving dishonesty. These findings support the functional approach to morality and reveal the underlying biological circuitries associated with group-serving dishonesty.
- Publication:
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
- Pub Date:
- April 2014
- DOI:
- Bibcode:
- 2014PNAS..111.5503S