CeDEx workshop - Shaul Shalvi (Ben Gurion University of the Negev)

Oxytocin promotes group-serving dishonesty

How far will people go for their loved ones ? Are people willing to lie for the benefit of those they care about ? What are the biological foundations for such dishonesty ? I will present experimental evidence suggesting that oxytocin, a hormone released during bonding behaviors such as hugging or breastfeeding and associated with trust and cooperation, plays a role in modulating group-serving dishonesty. It appears serving one’s group makes violating ethical rules feel justified. The finding evokes the question - is lying always immoral?