Your Morals Depend on Language

Summary

Should you sacrifice one man to save five? Whatever your answer, it should not depend on whether you were asked the question in your native language or a foreign tongue so long as you understood the problem. And yet here we report evidence that people using a foreign language make substantially more utilitarian decisions when faced with such moral dilemmas. We argue that this stems from the reduced emotional response elicited by the foreign language, consequently reducing the impact of intuitive emotional concerns. In general, we suggest that the increased psychological distance of using a foreign language induces utilitarianism. This shows that moral judgments can be heavily affected by an orthogonal property to moral principles, and importantly, one that is relevant to hundreds of millions of individuals on a daily basis.

Key Points

• 1Using a foreign language can lead to more utilitarian decisions in moral dilemmas
• 2Reduced emotional responses in a foreign language may affect moral judgments
• 3Participants from multiple language backgrounds showed varied tendencies towards utilitarianism
• 4The study utilized well-known moral scenarios like the trolley dilemma to assess decision-making processes.

Related articles

• THE SELF FROM EASTERN AND WESTERN PERSPECTIVES

  This document explores the contrasting views of self from Eastern and Western perspectives, highlighting significant cultural differences and similarities in their philosophies regarding individuality and collectivism.

• Introduction to Psychology

  This document serves as an introductory lesson on psychology, exploring its definition, goals, and relevance in daily life and various professions. It distinguishes scientific psychology from popular psychology while offering insights into how psychological principles apply to personal growth and interpersonal relationships.

• Personality Theory Overview

  This document provides an extensive review of personality theories, exploring various perspectives, definitions, and the importance of research in understanding personality. It discusses individual differences, the definition of theory, and outlines several major psychological perspectives on personality.

• Annual Review of Clinical Psychology Personality Disorders: Current Conceptualizations and Challenges

  This article reviews current conceptualizations and challenges in the diagnosis of personality disorders, particularly focusing on the shift towards a dimensional model of classification in accordance with DSM-5 and ICD-11.

• Clinical Neurobiology and Psychological Adaptations of the Secondary Partner in Covert Relational Dynamics

  This document provides a comprehensive analysis of the psychological and neurobiological impacts on the secondary partners involved in covert relationships, exploring the stressors they experience and the adaptations they undergo to maintain their role.