Washington, Nov 29: Probability of cheating is more in creative
people than in the non-creative lot, a new study has suggested.
According to the research, this is possibly because of the
talent possessed by the original thinkers, which increases their
ability to rationalize their actions. “Greater creativity helps
individuals solve difficult tasks across many domains, but
creative sparks may lead individuals to take unethical routes
when searching for solutions to problems and tasks,” said lead
researcher Francesca Gino, PhD, of Harvard University. Gino and
her co-author, Dan Ariely, PhD, of Duke University, conducted a
series of five experiments to test their thesis that more
creative people would cheat under circumstances where they could
justify their bad behaviour. The researchers used a series of
recognized psychological tests and measures to gauge research
subjects’ creativity. They also tested participants’
intelligence. In each of the five experiments, participants
received a small sum for showing up.