The Burden of Guilt: Heavy Backpacks, Light Snacks, and Enhanced Morality

    Authors

    M. Kouchaki; F. Gino;A. Jami

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    J. Exp. Psychol.-Gen.

    Keywords

    guilt; weight; embodied emotion; processing fluency; PERCEPTUAL RAGS; EMOTION; EMBODIMENT; METAPHORS; DISPLAYS; FLUENCY; SYSTEMS; MODELS; SHAME; Psychology, Experimental

    Abstract

    Drawing on the embodied simulation account of emotional information processing, we argue that the physical experience of weight is associated with the emotional experience of guilt and thus that weight intensifies the experience of guilt. Across 4 studies, we found that participants who wore a heavy backpack experienced higher levels of guilt compared to those who wore a light backpack. Additionally, wearing a heavy backpack affected participants' behavior. Specifically, it led them to be more likely to choose healthy snacks over guilt-inducing ones and boring tasks over fun ones. It also led participants to cheat less. Importantly, self-reported guilt mediated the effect of wearing a heavy backpack on these behaviors. Our studies also examined the mechanism behind these effects and demonstrated that participants processed guilty stimuli more fluently when experiencing physical weight.

    Journal Title

    Journal of Experimental Psychology-General

    Volume

    143

    Issue/Number

    1

    Publication Date

    1-1-2014

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    414

    Last Page

    424

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000331298600036

    ISSN

    0096-3445

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