Would you pass the wallet test?

譯者: 麗玲 辛 審譯者: 柏陞 郭

Picture this: you’re working a slow shift in a hotel lobby

想像一下：正值冷清的時段， 你恰好於酒店大廳值班，

when someone hurriedly approaches the front desk.

有個人匆忙地走來櫃檯。

They found a lost wallet around the corner,

他說在附近撿到一個遺失的錢包， 但他在趕時間，剛好沒辦法處理。

but they’re in a rush and don’t have time to follow up.

They ask if you can handle it and then run off.

於是他請你幫忙，然後就離開了。

Looking at the wallet you see it contains a key, a grocery list, about $13,

你檢查時發現裡面有一支鑰匙、 一張購物清單以及 13 美元

and three business cards with a name and email

還有三張寫有名字及電子郵件的名片。

you assume belong to the wallet’s owner.

你猜測都是屬於錢包主人。

So, what do you do?

接下來，你會怎麼做呢？

Between 2013 and 2016,

在 2013 年 到 2016 年之間，

over 17,000 front-desk workers around the globe

全球有超過 17000 位櫃台人員 面臨這樣的抉擇。

were faced with this choice,

becoming unwitting participants in a massive study of honesty.

殊不知他們參與一項 關於誠實的大型研究。

And the results surprised top economists and the researchers

這項研究的結果驚艷了頂尖的經濟學家 及執行實驗的研究人員。

running the experiment.

But to understand what these groups were expecting,

在了解這些人原本預想的結果之前，

we need to spend a little time defining honesty.

我們需要花一點時間來定義誠實。

We typically think of honesty in terms of actively telling the truth

基本上我們認為誠實是 在人際交流時主動說出實情。

in our interpersonal relationships.

But in fact, every healthy society relies on a shared foundation of honesty.

事實上，每個健康的社會都建立在 共享的誠實基礎上。

Using public services, making business transactions,

例如：使用公共設施、進行商業交易， 甚至是制定政府政䇿

and deciding government policies

requires a baseline expectation of honesty from our fellow citizens.

都來自公民對誠實有一定的期待。

Because of this, understanding what drives honesty

因此，認識推動誠實背後的因子

is a vital research subject

成為經濟學家、心理學家 以及社會學家們重要的研究主題。

for economists, psychologists, and sociologists.

Unfortunately, honesty can be difficult to investigate

不幸地是，誠實很難查證，

when people know they’re being watched.

特別是人們知道自己被監視的時候。

So, researchers have come up with clever ways to analyze

所以研究人員巧妙地想了些方法

以分析在實驗室之外人們的行為。

this behavior outside the lab.

And this global study by the universities of Michigan, Utah, and Zurich

這個由密西根、猶他以及蘇黎世等大學 進行的全球性研究

sought to answer an important question:

試圖回答一個重要的問題：

will people engage in opportunistic behavior

如果幾乎不可能被逮到，

when there’s little-to-no chance of being caught?

人們會不會進行投機行為？

In what became known as the Lost Wallet Test,

這個實驗被稱為「遺失錢包測試」，

13 research assistants traveled to 355 cities in 40 different countries,

13 位研究助理前往 40 個國家裡、共 355 個城市，

recreating the same scenario in hotels, banks, public offices,

在飯店、銀行、政府部門 還有各種文化機構

and various cultural establishments.

重建相同的情境。

The clear wallets ensured participants could see their contents,

參與者獲得看得到 內容物的透明錢包。

half of which contained a key, grocery list, and business cards,

有一半的錢包裏面有鑰匙、 購物清單、名片；

while the other half also included the equivalent of roughly 13 US dollars.

另一半的錢包裏還裝有 13 美元左右的現金。

The researchers believed the money would discourage honesty.

研究人員相信有錢的皮包 會讓人不誠實。

Specifically, they thought participants’ self-interest would overpower

明確來說，他們覺得參與者的 自利心理會壓過兩個競爭因素：

two competing factors:

their altruistic desire not to harm the wallet’s owner,

不損害錢包主人的利他衝動

and their desire to maintain a positive self-image.

以及想要保持個人正面形象的慾望。

Regarding self-image, we generally like to think of ourselves as good and honest.

說到個人形象，我們通常都自認 自己是個誠實的好人。

But studies have found people are often able to let themselves off the hook

但研究發現人們常常會 放縱自己去偷點小錢。

for stealing small amounts of money.

As for harming the wallet's owner,

至於損害錢包主人這方面，

the victim of their crime would be abstract.

這個罪行的受害者身分模糊，

They'd never met this person, and since the wallet had come from another location,

他們沒踫過面，而且錢包是從 別的地方撿到，

it seemed unlikely they ever would.

感覺他們也不可能會踫面。

For these reasons, researchers expected money-filled wallets

基於這些理由，研究人員預期這些 裝錢的皮包比較不會被提報。

to be reported less often,

and the 279 economists they surveyed agreed.

而接受調查的 279 位 經濟學家也同意這個論點。

But to their surprise, the study found the exact opposite.

但令他們很吃驚的是， 研究結果恰恰相反：

While only 46% of cash-free wallets were reported,

沒裝錢的皮包只有 46% 被提報，

61% of cash wallets were called in.

而裝錢的皮包有 61% 受到回報。

This pattern held true across the globe,

這個模式全球皆然

regardless of the participants’ age, gender,

不論參與者的年齡、性別，

or whether they were being observed during the wallet drop-off.

或著在轉交錢包的過程， 他們是否有被監視。

And when researchers tried increasing the temptation to be dishonest

研究人員試著將不實行為的誘惑提高

with wallets containing nearly $100,

把錢包裡的錢增加到接近 100 美金。

the results surprised them again.

結果再次令他們驚訝。

People reported 72% of these big money wallets.

72% 的人提報了有大筆錢的錢包。

There are a lot of theories for why honesty goes up

有好幾個理論可以來解釋 為什麼錢包價值增加，

as the wallet becomes more valuable.

人們反而變得更誠實。

The $100 wallet certainly increases self-interest.

100 元的錢包當然更有自利價值，

But in international follow-up surveys,

但在後續的跨國調查裡，

people reported that taking larger sums of money felt more like theft,

人們認為拿走大筆的錢財 比較像偷竊，

making it harder to maintain a positive self-image.

因此較難維持正面的個人形象。

It’s also possible that when the financial stakes are higher,

也有可能是因為財務利害關係較高，

so is the perceived harm to the wallet’s owner.

因此感到對錢包主人的傷害也較大。

Others have suggested that our commitment to honesty could be altered

也有研究人員指出，我們誠實的程度 可能因職業情境而有所改變。

in professional settings,

meaning participants might have acted differently outside the office.

這意謂著參與者在辦公室外 可能有不同的行為。

Still, this result suggests that self-interest

這個結果仍然告訴我們： 自利心並不如我們想像地這麼強烈。

might not be as powerful as we often think.

Seeing yourself as an honest person can motivate you to be an honest person.

看待自己是個誠實的人會 促使你成為誠實的人。

And by modeling this behavior and celebrating it and others,

而藉由展示誠實行為、 讚揚誠實的舉動及人，

we can help create an honest society we can all rely on.

我們就可以創造足以信賴的誠實社會。