On inflicting a painful electric shock on another subject to receive a monetary reward: Increasing self-awareness (e.g. seeing themselves in a mirror ) significantly reduces the fraction of subjects inflicting pain

Facing yourself – A note on self-image. Armin Falk. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, November 26 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2020.11.003

Rolf Degen's take: https://twitter.com/DegenRolf/status/1332198568363315200

Abstract: The concern for a positive self-image is a central assumption in a large class of signaling models. In this paper, we exogenously vary the impact of self-image concerns by manipulating self-directed attention and study the impact on moral behavior. The choice context in the experiment is whether subjects inflict a painful electric shock on another subject to receive a monetary reward. In the main treatment, subjects see their own face on the decision screen in a real-time video feed. In three control conditions, subjects see either no video at all or a neutral video, or they see themselves in a mirror. We find that increasing self-awareness significantly reduces the fraction of subjects inflicting pain. The finding emphasizes the importance of self-image concerns for moral decision making with implications for theory as well as practical applications to promote socially desirable outcomes.

Keywords: Self-imageMoral behavior

JEL D64C91