IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jbuset/v194y2024i2d10.1007_s10551-023-05611-w.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Sadder but Nicer Effect: How Incidental Sadness Reduces Morally Questionable Behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Laura J. Noval

    (Rennes School of Business)

  • Günter K. Stahl

    (Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Vienna))

  • Chen-Bo Zhong

    (University of Toronto)

Abstract

This article explores the influence of sadness in ethical decision-making and behavior. In three laboratory studies, we found that an incidental state of sadness reduced individuals’ propensity to engage in morally questionable behavior, including both unethical and selfish acts (Studies 1 to 3). We found this effect to be mediated by the role of sadness in prompting people to pay more attention to the negative consequences of morally questionable acts and perceive those consequences as more problematic (Studies 2 and 3). This effect was consistent using different decision-making contexts and held when rewards to be gained from such behavior were relatively high. Several implications of these findings for business ethics and organizations are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Laura J. Noval & Günter K. Stahl & Chen-Bo Zhong, 2024. "The Sadder but Nicer Effect: How Incidental Sadness Reduces Morally Questionable Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 194(2), pages 351-368, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:194:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s10551-023-05611-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-023-05611-w
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10551-023-05611-w
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10551-023-05611-w?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kahneman, Daniel & Knetsch, Jack L & Thaler, Richard H, 1986. "Fairness and the Assumptions of Economics," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 59(4), pages 285-300, October.
    2. David Hirshleifer & Tyler Shumway, 2003. "Good Day Sunshine: Stock Returns and the Weather," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 58(3), pages 1009-1032, June.
    3. repec:cup:judgdm:v:6:y:2011:i:6:p:552-564 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Uri Gneezy, 2005. "Deception: The Role of Consequences," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(1), pages 384-394, March.
    5. Majid Ghorbani & Yuan Liao & Sinan Çayköylü & Masud Chand, 2013. "Guilt, Shame, and Reparative Behavior: The Effect of Psychological Proximity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 114(2), pages 311-323, May.
    6. Rajagopal Raghunathan & Michel T. Pham & Kim P. Corfman, 2006. "Informational Properties of Anxiety and Sadness, and Displaced Coping," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 32(4), pages 596-601, March.
    7. Daphna Motro & Lisa D. Ordóñez & Andrea Pittarello & David T. Welsh, 2018. "Investigating the Effects of Anger and Guilt on Unethical Behavior: A Dual-Process Approach," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(1), pages 133-148, September.
    8. Sefa Hayibor & David Wasieleski, 2009. "Effects of the Use of the Availability Heuristic on Ethical Decision-Making in Organizations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 84(1), pages 151-165, January.
    9. Balasubramanian, Parasuram & Bennett, Victor M. & Pierce, Lamar, 2017. "The wages of dishonesty: The supply of cheating under high-powered incentives," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 428-444.
    10. Joan McMahon & Robert Harvey, 2007. "The Effect of Moral Intensity on Ethical Judgment," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 72(4), pages 335-357, June.
    11. Barnett, Tim & Valentine, Sean, 2004. "Issue contingencies and marketers' recognition of ethical issues, ethical judgments and behavioral intentions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 57(4), pages 338-346, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Laura J. Noval & Günter K. Stahl, 2017. "Accounting for Proscriptive and Prescriptive Morality in the Workplace: The Double-Edged Sword Effect of Mood on Managerial Ethical Decision Making," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 142(3), pages 589-602, May.
    2. Valerio Capraro & Roberto Di Paolo & Matjaz Perc & Veronica Pizziol, 2024. "Language-based game theory in the age of artificial intelligence," Papers 2403.08944, arXiv.org.
    3. Puncheva-Michelotti, Petya & Hudson, Sarah & Michelotti, Marco, 2018. "The role of proximity to local and global citizens in stakeholders' moral recognition of corporate social responsibility," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 234-244.
    4. Marie Claire Villeval, 2019. "Comportements (non) éthiques et stratégies morales," Revue économique, Presses de Sciences-Po, vol. 70(6), pages 1021-1046.
    5. Stefano DellaVigna, 2009. "Psychology and Economics: Evidence from the Field," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 47(2), pages 315-372, June.
    6. Christopher Boyce & Mikolaj Czajkowski & Nick Hanley & Charles Noussair & Michael Townsend & Steve Tucker, 2015. "The effects of emotions on preferences and choices for public goods," Discussion Papers in Environment and Development Economics 2015-08, University of St. Andrews, School of Geography and Sustainable Development.
    7. Bartoš, Vojtěch, 2021. "Seasonal scarcity and sharing norms," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 185(C), pages 303-316.
    8. Garbarino, Ellen & Slonim, Robert & Villeval, Marie Claire, 2019. "Loss aversion and lying behavior," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 379-393.
    9. Shuguang Jiang & Marie Claire Villeval, 2022. "Dishonesty in Developing Countries -What Can We Learn From Experiments?," Working Papers hal-03899654, HAL.
    10. Cadsby, C. Bram & Du, Ninghua & Song, Fei, 2016. "In-group favoritism and moral decision-making," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 59-71.
    11. Uri Gneezy & Alex Imas & Kristóf Madarász, 2012. "Conscience Accounting: Emotional Dynamics and Social Behavior," STICERD - Theoretical Economics Paper Series 563, Suntory and Toyota International Centres for Economics and Related Disciplines, LSE.
    12. Barron, Kai & Stüber, Robert & van Veldhuizen, Roel, 2019. "Motivated motive selection in the lying-dictator game," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Economics of Change SP II 2019-303, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    13. W. Bentley MacLeod & Victoria Valle Lara & Christian Zehnder, 2020. "Worker Empowerment and Subjective Evaluation: On Building an Effective Conflict Culture," NBER Working Papers 27857, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Charness, Gary & Dufwenberg, Martin, 2003. "Promises & Partnership," Research Papers in Economics 2003:3, Stockholm University, Department of Economics.
    15. Valentine, Sean & Godkin, Lynn, 2019. "Moral intensity, ethical decision making, and whistleblowing intention," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 277-288.
    16. Barbara Culiberg & Domen Bajde, 2014. "Do You Need a Receipt? Exploring Consumer Participation in Consumption Tax Evasion as an Ethical Dilemma," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 124(2), pages 271-282, October.
    17. Karen Winterich & Andrea Morales & Vikas Mittal, 2015. "Disgusted or Happy, It is not so Bad: Emotional Mini-Max in Unethical Judgments," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 130(2), pages 343-360, August.
    18. Laura Biziou-van-Pol & Jana Haenen & Arianna Novaro & Andrés Occhipinti & Valerio Capraro, 2015. "Does telling white lies signal pro-social preferences?," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 10(6), pages 538-548, November.
    19. Dickinson, David L. & Masclet, David, 2023. "Unethical decision making and sleep restriction: Experimental evidence," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 484-502.
    20. Nils Muhlack & Christian Soost & Christian Johannes Henrich, 2022. "Does Weather Still Affect The Stock Market?," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 74(1), pages 1-35, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:194:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s10551-023-05611-w. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.