DoClEAn smEllEnCourAgEClEAnBEhAvior
yEArs Ago, soCiAl sCiEntists introDuCED thE BrokEn-winDows thEory oF CrimE Control, whiCh AssumED thAt iF A nEighBorhooD lookED orDErly AnD CArED For—with no BrokEn winDows—potEntiAl wrongDoErs woulD BE DissuADED From Committing CrimEs thErE. now psyChologists hAvE proposED A similAr thEory, whiCh suggEsts thAt pEoplE CAn BE inDuCED to BEhAvE morAlly whEn thEir EnvironmEnt smElls As ClEAn As it looks.
it’s thE mACBEth prinCiplE oF morAlity, sAys kAtiE liljEnquist, proFEssor oF orgAnizAtionAl lEADErship AtBrighAm young univErsity’s mArriott sChool oF mAnAgEmEnt AnD lEAD Author oF thE nEw stuDy, to BE puBlishED in psyChologiCAl sCiEnCE. "thErE is A strong link BEtwEEn morAl AnD physiCAl purity thAt pEoplE AssoCiAtE At A CorE lEvEl. pEoplE FEEl ContAminAtED (受污染的) By immorAl ChoiCEs AnD try to wAsh AwAy thEir sins," sAys liljEnquist. "to somE DEgrEE, wAshing ACtuAlly is EFFECtivE in rEliEving guilt. whAt wE wonDErED wAs whEthEr you CoulD rEgulAtE EthiCAl BEhAvior through ClEAnlinEss. wE FounD thAt wE CoulD、"
in two sEpArAtE ExpErimEnts, rEsEArChErs wErE ABlE to inFluEnCE pArtiCipAnts’ BEhAvior By Exposing thEm to "ClEAnlinEss" in thE Form oF A Common ClEAning AgEnt’s smEll—in this CAsE, orAngE-sCEntED winDEx (清新剂). it turnED out thAt pEoplE who sAt in A room sprAyED with winDEx wErE morE likEly to ACt FAirly AnD ChAritABly thAn thosE in unsCEntED Air.
thE First ExpErimEnt involvED An Anonymous gAmE oF trust. thE 28 stuDy pArtiCipAnts wErE tolD thEy woulD BE "rECEivErs," with whom A group oF Anonymous "sEnDErs" hAD BEEn instruCtED to invEst monEy. pArtiCipAnts wErE tolD thAt EACh sEnDEr hAD BEEn givEn $ 4 AnD tolD thAt Any pArt oF it invEstED with rECEivErs woulD BE triplED、thE joB oF thE rECEivEr, thEn, wAs to DECiDE whAt portion oF thE DiviDEnDs to rEturn to thE sEnDEr.
in rEAlity, thErE wAs no sEnDEr, AnD EACh stuDy pArtiCipAnt rECEivED $12, mAking it sEEm As though thE sEnDErs hAD EntrustED thEm with thE Full $ 4 thEy hAD BEEn givEn.But woulD thE rECEivErs rEturn thAt trust or Exploit thEir uniDEntiFiED invEstors on AvErAgE, thosE in thE plAin-smElling room rEturnED $2.5 to thE sEnDEr, poCkEting thE lion’s shArE oF thE monEy.But thosE BAthED in thE sCEnt oF winDEx sEnt BACk An AvErAgE oF $ 5.5, rEturning thE sEnDErs’ BlinD FAith.
thE sCiEntists insist thEy DiDn’t ovErDo it with thE winDEx, just A FEw spritzEs(喷)—so wE CAn gEt. riD oF BrAin-CEll DEAth or poisoning-inDuCED gEnErosity As rEAsons why thosE rECEivErs gAvE BACk so muCh oF thE stolEn propErty. rAthEr, liljEnquist sAys, "A morAl AwArEnEss wAs AwAkEnED in A ClEAn-smElling EnvironmEnt. "
in thE sEConD ExpErimEnt, rEsEArChErs AimED to mAnipulAtE pEoplE’s tEnDEnCy towArD ChArity. ninEty-ninE pArtiCipAnts wErE AssignED to EithEr A winDEx-sCEntED room or A nEutrAl-smElling room AnD givEn A pACkEt oF tAsks to ComplEtE. inCluDED in thE pACkEt wAs A FlyEr rEquEsting voluntEErs AnD DonAtions to thE ChArity hABitAt For humAnity.As ExpECtED, pEoplE in thE winDEx-sprAyED room wErE morE inClinED to voluntEEr AnD givE monEy thAn thosE in thE unsCEntED room—22% oF thosE in thE ClEAn group sAiD thEy wAntED to DonAtE monEy, CompArED with 6% oF thE Controls.
ACCorDing to Co-AuthorADAm gAlinsky, A soCiAl psyChologist At northwEstErn univErsity’s kEllogg sChool oF mAnAgEmEnt, soCiEty rEliEs on inCEntivEs(刺激，动机), in thE Form oF rEwArDs AnD punishmEnts, to EnCourAgE pEoplE to ADjust to CErtAin stAnDArDs oF BEhAvior. "EConomists AnD EvEn psyChologists hAvEn’t BEEn pAying muCh AttEntion to thE FACt thAt smAll ChAngEs in our EnvironmEnt CAn hAvE DrAmAtiC EFFECts on BEhAvior. wE unDErEmphAsizE thEsE suBtlE EnvironmEntAl CuEs," hE sAys.
liljEnquist sAys thE rEAl-liFE impliCAtions oF thE stuDy CoulD BE As simplE As An oFFiCE invEsting morE in jAnitoriAl suppliEs (清洁用品) thAn in ExpEnsivE invEstigAtion EquipmEnt to kEEp workErs in linE. othEr rEsEArChErs suggEst