Feeling guilty is not a pleasant experience, but it may have some benefits for society.
A new article claims that guilt-prone people tend to be less likely corrupted.
Let's find out more.
A study about bribes and corruption
A study conducted by UC Santa Barbara psychology professor Hongbo Yu and his collaborators explored how guilt-proneness, a personality trait characterized by worrying about the potential harm caused by one's actions, relates to unethical behaviors like bribery.
The researchers focused on bribery situations where individuals are tempted to act illegally or unethically in exchange for favors or gifts.
Participants in the study filled out a questionnaire about their demographic information, personality traits, and fairness concerns.
The findings revealed that individuals who scored high in guilt-proneness were less likely to accept a bribe in both scenarios.
Guilt can be pretty useful
This study adds to the growing body of research linking guilt-proneness to fewer unethical decisions.
However, it's important to note that this study only established a correlation and cannot establish a causal relationship.
More research is needed to determine if increasing guilt-proneness can reduce corruption.
The researchers suggest that guilt-proneness, along with other personality traits, could be used as a reliable predictor in personnel selection for positions of leadership or high-stakes jobs to ensure integrity and minimize corruption.
