Title

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

Authors

Authors

M. Kouchaki; F. Gino;A. Jami

Comments

Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

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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