Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Groupthink01:34

Groupthink

37.0K
When in group settings, we are often influenced by the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors around us. Groupthink is another phenomenon of conformity where modification of the opinions of members in a group aligns with what they believe is the group consensus (Janis, 1972). In such situations, the group often takes action that individuals would not perform outside the group setting because groups make more extreme decisions than individuals do. Moreover, groupthink can hinder opposing trains of...
37.0K
Social Proof00:52

Social Proof

24.9K
Social proof is a form of persuasion based on comparison and conformity. People compare their behavior and actions to what others are doing and will change to conform to do what their peers do.
24.9K
Self-Serving Bias01:29

Self-Serving Bias

374
Self-serving bias is a cognitive phenomenon in which individuals attribute positive outcomes to internal factors such as their abilities, intelligence, or effort while attributing negative outcomes to external circumstances. This cognitive distortion helps maintain self-esteem but can also impede objective self-assessment.Theoretical Explanations of Self-Serving BiasTwo primary theories explain the self-serving bias: the cognitive explanation and the motivational explanation.The cognitive...
374
Obedience01:08

Obedience

26.2K
According to obedience research, we may harm others under the forceful pressures of an authority figure (Milgram, 1974). How about if the inappropriate orders were delivered with less force? The increasing interdependence between nurses and physicians compelled Hofling and his colleagues to explore nurses’ reactions to a potentially harmful medical request made by the perceived authority figure, the doctor (Hofling, Brotzman, Dalrymple, Graves, & Pierce, 1966). In this situation,...
26.2K
Deindividuation00:57

Deindividuation

22.4K
Deindividuation is a form of social influence on an individual’s behavior such that the individual engages in unusual or non-normal behavior while in a group setting. Why? Because in these group settings, the individual no longer sees themselves as an individual anymore, disinhibiting their behavior and personal restraint.
22.4K
Understanding Deception01:14

Understanding Deception

258
Deception is a pervasive aspect of human communication. Empirical studies have shown that most individuals engage in some form of deceit on a daily basis, with approximately 20% of social exchanges involving deceptive elements. Lying follows a developmental trajectory, peaking during adolescence and declining with age, possibly due to the maturation of cognitive control and social accountability.Cognitive and Social Factors in Deception DetectionDespite its prevalence, accurately detecting...
258

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Intentions poorly explain how and why people engage in offensive and defensive forms of violence.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

How defense rhetoric escalates intergroup conflict.

iScience·2025
Same author

Bias is not color blind: Ignoring gender and race leads to suboptimal selection decisions-A registered report.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2025
Same author

Group-mindedness as evolved solution to deal with group-living.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2025
Same author

Guilt drives prosociality across 20 countries.

Nature human behaviour·2025
Same author

Reciprocity evolves more readily in competitive than cooperative socio-ecologies.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 1, 2026

Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making
11:51

Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making

Published on: March 2, 2011

14.7K

Oxytocin promotes group-serving dishonesty.

Shaul Shalvi1, Carsten K W De Dreu

  • 1Psychology Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|April 8, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Oxytocin, a hormone promoting cooperation, increases unethical behavior when it benefits a group, especially for financial gain. This suggests dishonesty is linked to social bonding and group interests.

Keywords:
behavioral economicsbehavioral ethicsdecision makinghonestylies

More Related Videos

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime
07:36

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime

Published on: May 3, 2016

7.8K
The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
11:13

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test

Published on: November 19, 2015

13.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 1, 2026

Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making
11:51

Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making

Published on: March 2, 2011

14.7K
An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime
07:36

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime

Published on: May 3, 2016

7.8K
The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
11:13

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test

Published on: November 19, 2015

13.2K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Social Psychology
  • Behavioral Economics

Background:

  • Humans may act unethically to benefit others, a tendency potentially linked to oxytocin.
  • Oxytocin is a neuropeptide known to enhance affiliation and cooperation.
  • Understanding the neurobiological basis of group-serving dishonesty is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether oxytocin administration increases group-serving dishonesty.
  • To explore the conditions under which oxytocin influences unethical behavior for group benefit.
  • To examine the role of financial incentives in oxytocin-modulated dishonesty.

Main Methods:

  • A double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment using a coin-toss prediction task.
  • Participants (healthy males) received intranasal oxytocin or placebo.
  • Dishonesty was measured by self-reported performance to benefit the group, with varying financial consequences.

Main Results:

  • Oxytocin administration led to increased and faster group-serving dishonesty when financial gains were possible.
  • Oxytocin did not increase dishonesty when only personal losses were at stake.
  • In a control condition where dishonesty only benefited the individual, oxytocin had no effect on lying.

Conclusions:

  • Oxytocin promotes dishonesty when it serves group interests, particularly under conditions of potential financial gain.
  • These findings support a functional view of morality, linking dishonesty to evolved neurobiological mechanisms for cooperation.
  • Oxytocin shifts decision-making focus from self-interest to group interests, influencing the plasticity of dishonesty.