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Kirkland K, Van Lange PAM, Gorenz D, Blake K, Amiot CE, Ausmees L, Baguma P, Barry O, Becker M, Bilewicz M, Boonyasiriwat W, Booth RW, Castelain T, Costantini G, Dimdins G, Espinosa A, Finchilescu G, Fischer R, Friese M, Gómez Á, González R, Goto N, Halama P, Hurtado-Parrado C, Ilustrisimo RD, Jiga-Boy GM, Kuppens P, Loughnan S, Mastor KA, McLatchie N, Novak LM, Onyekachi BN, Rizwan M, Schaller M, Serafimovska E, Suh EM, Swann WB, Tong EMW, Torres A, Turner RN, Vauclair CM, Vinogradov A, Wang Z, Yeung VWL, Bastian B. High economic inequality is linked to greater moralization. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgae221. [PMID: 38979080 PMCID: PMC11229818 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Throughout the 21st century, economic inequality is predicted to increase as we face new challenges, from changes in the technological landscape to the growing climate crisis. It is crucial we understand how these changes in inequality may affect how people think and behave. We propose that economic inequality threatens the social fabric of society, in turn increasing moralization-that is, the greater tendency to employ or emphasize morality in everyday life-as an attempt to restore order and control. Using longitudinal data from X, formerly known as Twitter, our first study demonstrates that high economic inequality is associated with greater use of moral language online (e.g. the use of words such as "disgust", "hurt", and "respect'). Study 2 then examined data from 41 regions around the world, generally showing that higher inequality has a small association with harsher moral judgments of people's everyday actions. Together these findings demonstrate that economic inequality is linked to the tendency to see the world through a moral lens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Kirkland
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 3052, Australia
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Paul A M Van Lange
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1075 BT, The Netherlands
| | - Drew Gorenz
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Khandis Blake
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | - Catherine E Amiot
- Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, H2L 2C4, Canada
| | - Liisi Ausmees
- Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu, Tartu, 50090, Estonia
| | - Peter Baguma
- Department of Educational, Organizational and Social Psychology, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Oumar Barry
- Department of Psychology, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, 10700, Senegal
| | - Maja Becker
- CLLE, CNRS, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, 31058, France
| | - Michal Bilewicz
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, 00-183, Poland
| | | | - Robert W Booth
- Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Sabanci University, Istanbul, 34956, Turkey
| | - Thomas Castelain
- Serra Húnter Fellow, Department of Psychology, University of Girona, Girona, 17004, Spain
| | - Giulio Costantini
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, 20126, Italy
| | - Girts Dimdins
- Department of Psychology, University of Latvia, Riga, LV-1586, Latvia
| | - Agustín Espinosa
- Departamento Académico de Psicología, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, 15088, Peru
| | - Gillian Finchilescu
- Psychology Department, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017, South Africa
| | - Ronald Fischer
- School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, 6012, New Zealand
| | - Malte Friese
- Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, 66123, Germany
| | - Ángel Gómez
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, UNED, Madrid, 28040, Spain
| | - Roberto González
- Escuela de Psicología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, 8331150, Chile
| | - Nobuhiko Goto
- Graduate School of Social Sciences, Hitotsubashi University, Kunitachi, 186-8601, Japan
| | - Peter Halama
- Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences, The Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, 814 38, Slovakia
| | - Camilo Hurtado-Parrado
- School of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA
| | - Ruby D Ilustrisimo
- Department of Psychology, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, 6000, Philippines
| | | | - Peter Kuppens
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, 3000, Belgium
| | - Steve Loughnan
- School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - Khairul A Mastor
- School of Liberal Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, 43600, Malaysia
| | - Neil McLatchie
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, England, LA1 4YW, UK
| | - Lindsay M Novak
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA
| | | | - Muhammad Rizwan
- Department of Clinical Psychology, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi, 46220, Pakistan
| | - Mark Schaller
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Eleonora Serafimovska
- Institute for Sociological Political and Juridical Research, Ss Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Skopje, 1000, Macedonia
| | - Eunkook M Suh
- Department of Psychology, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, South Korea
| | - William B Swann
- Psychology Department, The University of Texas, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Eddie M W Tong
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, 119077, Singapore
| | - Ana Torres
- Departamento de Psicologia, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, 58051-900, Brazil
| | - Rhiannon N Turner
- School of Psychology, Queens University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT7 1NN, UK
| | - Christin-Melanie Vauclair
- Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), CIS-IUL, Lisbon, 1649-026, Portugal
| | - Alexander Vinogradov
- Faculty of Psychology, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, 01033, Ukraine
| | - Zhechen Wang
- School of Social Development and Public Policy, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Victoria Wai Lan Yeung
- Department of Psychology, Lingnan University, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong, China
- Wofoo Joseph Lee Consulting and Counselling Psychology Research Centre, Lingnan University, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong, China
| | - Brock Bastian
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 3052, Australia
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2
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Merrell WN, Choi S, Ackerman JM. When and Why People Conceal Infectious Disease. Psychol Sci 2024; 35:215-225. [PMID: 38265420 DOI: 10.1177/09567976231221990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
People sick with infectious illnesses face negative social outcomes, like exclusion, and may take steps to conceal their illnesses from others. In 10 studies of past, current, and projected illness, we examined the prevalence and predictors of infection concealment in adult samples of U.S. university students, health-care employees, and online crowdsourced workers (total N = 4,110). About 75% reported concealing illness in interpersonal interactions, possibly placing others in harm's way. Concealment motives were largely social (e.g., wanting to attend events like parties) and achievement oriented (e.g., completing work objectives). Disease characteristics, including potential harm and illness immediacy, also influenced concealment decisions. People imagining harmful (vs. mild) infections concealed illness less frequently, whereas participants who were actually sick concealed frequently regardless of illness harm, suggesting state-specific biases underlying concealment decisions. Disease concealment appears to be a widely prevalent behavior by which concealers trade off risks to others in favor of their own goals, creating potentially important public-health consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Soyeon Choi
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan
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Ali S, Zahid H, Khalid N, Poulova P, Akbar M. Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner: Examining the Role of Religiosity on Generation M’s Attitude Toward Purchasing Luxury Counterfeiting Products in Social Commerce. Front Psychol 2022; 13:927697. [PMID: 36248594 PMCID: PMC9559740 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.927697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Counterfeiting has become a prevalent business worldwide, resulting in high losses for many businesses. Considerable attention has been paid to research an individual attitude toward purchasing luxury counterfeit products in the offline context. However, there is currently lesser-known literature on the given phenomenon in the context of social commerce. Moreover, researchers observed that counterfeiting consumption is associated with consumer ethical values or beliefs. Practitioners and researchers are keen to find those factors that affect consumers’ ethical consumption behavior to reduce pirated products’ demand. However, the role of religion in shaping ethical behavior is less documented in the counterfeiting context. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of religiosity on the counterfeiting of luxury products in Pakistan. A five-dimensional Islamic religiosity model was adopted to understand the consumption phenomena. For quantitative research, cross-sectional data were collected from the generation M of Pakistan through self-administrative questionnaires. A total of 394 valid responses from active online users were collected to empirically examine the conceptual model by employing the partial least square structural equation model (PLS-SEM). The results reveal that all five dimensions of religiosity negatively affect the attitude of generation M. Moreover, it is found that knowledge has the highest negative effect on attitude, followed by orthopraxis, experience, central duties, and basic duties. The study also explains the theoretical and practical implications of the research. Finally, limitations and future research were also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saqib Ali
- Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Sahiwal, Pakistan
| | - Hasan Zahid
- Faculty of Management Sciences, Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Nadeem Khalid
- Faculty of Business and Law, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Petra Poulova
- Department of Informatics and Quantitative Methods, Faculty of Informatics and Management, University of Hradec Králové, Hradec Králové, Czechia
- *Correspondence: Petra Poulova,
| | - Minhas Akbar
- Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Sahiwal, Pakistan
- Department of Informatics and Quantitative Methods, Faculty of Informatics and Management, University of Hradec Králové, Hradec Králové, Czechia
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Schippers MC, Ioannidis JPA, Joffe AR. Aggressive measures, rising inequalities, and mass formation during the COVID-19 crisis: An overview and proposed way forward. Front Public Health 2022; 10:950965. [PMID: 36159300 PMCID: PMC9491114 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.950965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
A series of aggressive restrictive measures were adopted around the world in 2020-2022 to attempt to prevent SARS-CoV-2 from spreading. However, it has become increasingly clear the most aggressive (lockdown) response strategies may involve negative side-effects such as a steep increase in poverty, hunger, and inequalities. Several economic, educational, and health repercussions have fallen disproportionately on children, students, young workers, and especially on groups with pre-existing inequalities such as low-income families, ethnic minorities, and women. This has led to a vicious cycle of rising inequalities and health issues. For example, educational and financial security decreased along with rising unemployment and loss of life purpose. Domestic violence surged due to dysfunctional families being forced to spend more time with each other. In the current narrative and scoping review, we describe macro-dynamics that are taking place because of aggressive public health policies and psychological tactics to influence public behavior, such as mass formation and crowd behavior. Coupled with the effect of inequalities, we describe how these factors can interact toward aggravating ripple effects. In light of evidence regarding the health, economic and social costs, that likely far outweigh potential benefits, the authors suggest that, first, where applicable, aggressive lockdown policies should be reversed and their re-adoption in the future should be avoided. If measures are needed, these should be non-disruptive. Second, it is important to assess dispassionately the damage done by aggressive measures and offer ways to alleviate the burden and long-term effects. Third, the structures in place that have led to counterproductive policies should be assessed and ways should be sought to optimize decision-making, such as counteracting groupthink and increasing the level of reflexivity. Finally, a package of scalable positive psychology interventions is suggested to counteract the damage done and improve humanity's prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaéla C. Schippers
- Department of Technology and Operations Management, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands,*Correspondence: Michaéla C. Schippers
| | - John P. A. Ioannidis
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States,Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States,Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States,Department of Statistics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States,Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Ari R. Joffe
- Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stollery Children's Hospital, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada,John Dossetor Health Ethics Center, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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Facente SN, De Zuzuarregui M, Frank D, Gomez-Aladino S, Muñoz A, Williamson S, Wang E, Hunter L, Packel L, Reingold A, Petersen M. Risky business: A mixed methods study of decision-making regarding COVID-19 risk at a public university in the United States. Front Psychol 2022; 13:926664. [PMID: 35967656 PMCID: PMC9372553 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.926664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
IntroductionUntil vaccines became available in late 2020, our ability to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within countries depended largely on voluntary adherence to mitigation measures. However, individual decision-making regarding acceptable COVID-19 risk is complex. To better understand decision-making regarding COVID-19 risk, we conducted a qualitative substudy within a larger Berkeley COVID-19 Safe Campus Initiative (BCSCI) during the summer of 2020, and completed a mixed-methods analysis of factors influencing decision-making.Materials and methodsWe interviewed 20 participants who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and 10 who remained negative, and analyzed quantitative survey data from 3,324 BCSCI participants. The BCSCI study enrolled university-affiliated people living in the local area during summer of 2020, collected data on behaviors and attitudes toward COVID-19, and conducted SARS-CoV-2 testing at baseline and endline.ResultsAt baseline, 1362 students (57.5%) and 285 non-students (35.1%) said it had been somewhat or very difficult to comply with COVID-19-related mandates. Most-cited reasons were the need to go out for food/essentials, difficulty of being away from family/friends, and loneliness. Eight interviewees explicitly noted they made decisions partially because of others who may be at high risk. We did not find significant differences between the behaviors of students and non-students.DiscussionDespite prevailing attitudes about irresponsibility of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic, students in our study demonstrated a commitment to making rational choices about risk behavior, not unlike non-students around them. Decision-making was driven by perceived susceptibility to severe disease, need for social interaction, and concern about risk to others. A harm reduction public health approach may be beneficial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelley N. Facente
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- Facente Consulting, Richmond, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Shelley N. Facente,
| | - Mariah De Zuzuarregui
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Darren Frank
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Sarah Gomez-Aladino
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Ariel Muñoz
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Sabrina Williamson
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Emily Wang
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Lauren Hunter
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Laura Packel
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Arthur Reingold
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Maya Petersen
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
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Abstract
While at first the fear of COVID-19 disease spread was limited by the fact that the pandemic appeared to be confined to China, the growing emergency in Italy and the rapid escalation in positive cases and deaths have made the threat of this disease a national as well as global phenomenon. In the present research, a questionnaire was collected both before (n = 396) and during (n = 250) the outbreak of the pandemic in Italy. The aim of the research was to analyze the possible mediation of binding moral foundations on the relationship between concerns over COVID-19 and prejudice vis-à-vis immigrants. As hypothesized, the results show that concerns over COVID-19 increased greatly after the start of the Italian pandemic. Moreover, both before and during the pandemic, the relationship between concerns over COVID-19 and prejudice toward immigrants is mediated by binding moral foundations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Passini
- Department of Education Studies, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Lo Presti S, Mattavelli G, Canessa N, Gianelli C. Risk perception and behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic: Predicting variables of compliance with lockdown measures. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0262319. [PMID: 34986209 PMCID: PMC8730439 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures to counteract it have highlighted the role of individual differences in evaluating and reacting to emergencies, and the challenges inherent in promoting precautionary behaviours. We aimed to explore the psychological and cognitive factors modulating behaviour and intentions during the national lockdown in Italy. We administered an online questionnaire (N = 244) that included tests for assessing personality traits (Temperament and Character Inventory; Locus of Control of Behaviour) and moral judgment (Moral Foundations Questionnaire), alongside behavioural economics tasks addressing different facets of risk attitude (loss aversion, risk aversion and delay discounting). We then assessed the extent to which individual variations in these dimensions modulated participants' compliance with the lockdown norms. When assessing their joint contribution via multiple regressions, lockdown adherence was mostly predicted by internal locus of control, psycho-economic dimensions suggestive of long-sighted and loss-averse attitudes, as well as personality traits related to cautionary behaviour, such as harm avoidance, and the authority moral concern. These findings show that a multi-domain assessment of the factors underlying personal intentions, and thus driving compliance with government measures, can help predict individuals' actions during health emergencies. This evidence points to factors that should be considered when developing interventions and communication strategies to promote precautionary behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Lo Presti
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Giulia Mattavelli
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy
- Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of Pavia Institute, Pavia, Italy
| | - Nicola Canessa
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy
- Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of Pavia Institute, Pavia, Italy
| | - Claudia Gianelli
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy
- Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of Pavia Institute, Pavia, Italy
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Schaller M, Murray DR, Hofer MK. The behavioural immune system and pandemic psychology: the evolved psychology of disease-avoidance and its implications for attitudes, behaviour, and public health during epidemic outbreaks. EUROPEAN REVIEW OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/10463283.2021.1988404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mark Schaller
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T1Z4, Canada
| | - Damian R. Murray
- Department of Psychology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70188, United States
| | - Marlise K. Hofer
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, V8W2Y2, Canada
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