RIVERSIDE – (INT) - Cheating to get ahead is likely to reduce your level of happiness. That’s according to a new study at UC Riverside.

In the study, students were recruited from undergraduate classes to participate in an experiment in which individuals completed a task alone or in a group of three. They were told that doing well on the task would increase their chances of earning money at the end of the study.

During the task, participants were given the opportunity to cheat to get ahead. Some cheated, while others did not.

“Those who did not cheat either believed that cheating was wrong, and this deterred them from cheating, or they did not feel compelled to cheat because they could accomplish the task based on their abilities,” explained sociology professor Jan E. Stets.

Those who did cheat and later thought others would not see them as they saw themselves – as moral persons – were more likely to report a reduction in happiness.

The study, titled “Happiness and Identities,” was published in the journal Social Science Research.

Story Date: May 11, 2016