How and why people want to be more moral

Area of Science:

• Moral psychology
• Behavioral ethics
• Social psychology

Background:

• Individuals often express a desire for moral self-improvement.
• Understanding the specific nature and motivations behind these desired changes is crucial for psychological and ethical research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the types of moral improvements people wish to make.
• To investigate the underlying motivations driving the desire for moral change.
• To determine if the primary motivation is altruistic or self-beneficial.

Main Methods:

• Two large-scale, preregistered studies were conducted with 1818 participants.
• Participants provided open-ended descriptions of desired moral improvements.
• Beliefs about and motivations for these changes were assessed.

Main Results:

• The most common stated goal was to increase compassion.
• Participants more frequently aimed to amplify good behaviors than to curb bad ones.
• Beliefs about positive personal consequences strongly predicted motivation for moral change.

Conclusions:

• Ordinary people desire to be more moral, particularly by enhancing positive traits.
• Self-interest, specifically the anticipation of personal well-being benefits, is a key motivator for moral self-improvement.
• Findings offer insights into the self-perceptions and motivations related to moral development.