Do moral choices make us feel good? The development of adolescents' emotions following moral decision making (2013)

Abstract

Some people believe that making the morally right decision makes people feel good. However, until now, there has been no empirical evidence in support of this belief. In a representative two-wave longitudinal study of 995 15-year-old adolescents followed for 3 years (until the age of 18) in Switzerland, adolescents were asked about their decisions and emotions following hypothetical dilemmas involving moral obligations versus self-interest. Adolescents predominantly made moral decisions and reported feeling good following these decisions. With age, participants reported more positive emotions following moral decisions. A small number of adolescents made selfish decisions and reported feeling good following these decisions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)

Bibliographic entry

Malti, T., Keller, M., & Buchmann, M. (2013). Do moral choices make us feel good? The development of adolescents' emotions following moral decision making. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 23, 389-397. doi:10.1111/jora.12005 (Full text)

Miscellaneous

Publication year 2013
Document type: Article
Publication status: Published
External URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jora.12005 View
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