Honesty box is more honest when poster watching
By Lee Bowman / Seattle Post-Intelligencer/ June 28,2006
English researchers found that office workers paid nearly three time more into an “honesty box” to pay for coffee and tea when they were faced by a poster that made it seem human eyes were watching them
“I was really surprised by how big the effect was, as we were expecting it to be quite subtle,” said Melissa Bateson, a behavioral science res earcher at Newcastle University who led had a strong effect on our tea and coffee drinkers."
The study, published today in the online journal Biology Letters, made use of a long –running kitty arrangement in a common room used by about 48 staff members, so there was no reason for workers to suspect that an experiment was being done. The journal Published by the Royal Society, Great Britain s scientific academy.
The single change to the arrangement was a poster placed above the cash box listing prices of tea ,coffee and milk, with an image across the top that alternated each week between different pictures of flowers or images that featured eyes looking down on the serving table
The eye pictures varied in the gender and head orientation of the face, but all were chosen so that the eyes seemed to look directly at the observer.
Each week, as the signs changed, the researchers recorded the amount of money collected , and the volume of milk consumed, since that was considered the best index of total drink consumption.
The team then calculated the ratio of money collected to the volume of milk consumed each week, and found that during the weeks when the poster featured pictures of eyes, people paid 2.76 times as much for their drinks as during the weeks when flowers were on display.
The researchers argue that the eyes were influential because the brain naturally reacts to images of faces and eyes . “Our brains are programmed to respond to eyes and faces whether we are consciously aware of it or not, “ Bateson said adding that the findings could have implications for many sorts of campaigns to curb anti – social behavior, from jumping subway toll gates to road safety.
They also say the funding show how people behave differently when they believe they are being watched, because they are concerned about what others will think of them. Generally, being seen as cooperative is desirable, because others are more likely to return the gesture when the individual needs help.
“people are less likely to be selfish it they feel they are being watched, which had huge implications for real life, “Bateson on motorway . A sign bearing an image of a camera is less effective because it has to be actively processed by our brains. Our research, along with previous studies, suggests drivers would react much more quickly and positively to signs that display natural stimuli such as eyes and Face.”
(Note : this article has been adaped.)