Gino, FrancescaAyal, ShaharAriely, Dan2012-09-122012-09-12Gino, Francesca, Shahar Ayal, and Dan Ariely. "Self-Serving Altruism? When Unethical Actions That Benefit Others Do Not Trigger Guilt." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 13-028, September 2012.http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:9544595In three experiments, we examine whether individuals cheat more when other individuals can benefit from their cheating (they do) and when the number of beneficiaries of wrongdoing is larger (they do). Our results indicate that people use moral flexibility in justifying their self-interested actions when such actions benefit others in addition to the self. Namely, our findings suggest that when others can benefit from one’s dishonesty people consider larger dishonesty as morally acceptable and thus can benefit from their cheating and simultaneously feel less guilty about it. We discuss the implications of these results for collaborations in the social realm.en-USCheatingEthical JudgmentMoralitySocial utilityUnethical BehaviorResearch Paper or Report2012-09-12