Diverging effects of clean versus dirty money on attitudes, values, and interpersonal behavior

Bibliographic Data

ID6207357
AuthorsQing Yang (0000-0001-6621-080X, Sun Yat-sen University), Xiaochang Wu (Sun Yat-sen University), Xinyue Zhou (0000-0003-4913-140X, Sun Yat-sen University), Nicole L Mead (0000-0002-9621-4999, Universidade Católica Portuguesa), Kathleen D Vohs (0000-0001-5858-2603, University of Minnesota), Roy F Baumeister (0000-0003-1413-3296, Florida State University)
Year2013
Volume104
Issue3
Pages473-489
Publication date2013-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/a0030596
PMID23127377
OpenAlexW2165262317
LanguageEN
Citations received16
References cited13

Does the cue of money lead to selfish, greedy, exploitative behaviors or to fairness, exchange, and reciprocity? We found evidence for both, suggesting that people have both sets of meaningful associations, which can be differentially activated by exposure to clean versus dirty money. In a field experiment at a farmers' market, vendors who handled dirty money subsequently cheated customers, whereas those who handled clean money gave fair value (Experiment 1). In laboratory studies with economic games, participants who had previously handled and counted dirty money tended toward selfish, unfair practices-unlike those who had counted clean money or dirty paper, both of which led to fairness and reciprocity. These patterns were found with the trust game (Experiment 2), the prisoner's dilemma (Experiment 4), the ultimatum game (Experiment 5), and the dictator game (Experiment 6). Cognitive measures indicated that exposure to dirty money lowered moral standards (Experiment 3) and reduced positive attitudes toward fairness and reciprocity (Experiments 6-7), whereas exposure to clean money had the opposite effects. Thus, people apparently have 2 contradictory sets of associations (including behavioral tendencies) to money, which is a complex, powerful, and ubiquitous aspect of human social life and cultural organization

Dictator game · Dilemma · Economics · Interpersonal communication · Interpersonal relationship · Microeconomics · Prosocial behavior · Reciprocity (cultural anthropology) · Ultimatum game · Ethics in Business and Education · Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social Psychology

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