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Underestimating Honesty in Distributive Negotiations: Misjudging Counterparts' Motivations
Shira Garber1, Simone Moran2, Boaz Keysar3
1Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|July 29, 2026
Summary
Negotiators often misjudge their counterpart's honesty due to focusing on self-interest, creating an honesty gap. Understanding moral identity concerns can help bridge this gap and foster trust in negotiations.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Negotiators face dilemmas regarding honesty and trusting counterparts.
- A gap exists between expected and actual honesty in negotiations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the discrepancy in how negotiators approach honesty dilemmas.
- To identify the reasons behind the expected versus actual honesty gap.
Main Methods:
- Conducted five studies involving negotiations in online secondhand markets.
- Examined buyers' perceptions of sellers' motivations and honesty.
- Assessed the role of moral identity concerns in negotiator honesty.
Main Results:
- Buyers often underestimated sellers' honesty, attributing it to self-interest.
- Sellers were often honest due to moral identity concerns.
- Misperceptions of sellers' motivations accounted for the honesty gap.
Conclusions:
- Negotiators overestimate dishonesty in counterparts by assuming self-interested motives.
- Moral identity significantly influences negotiator honesty.
- Targeted interventions can alter perceptions and foster trust.
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