Scientists conduct a social experiment in dozens of countries to see who will return a found wallet, and if results vary based on the amount of cash in it. The results surprised them. Nearly everyone, everywhere, is more likely to return a cash-filled wallet than an empty one. Bill Whittle Now explores the reasons behind this near-universal virtue, and what impact the finding should have on our political discourse.
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Universal Virtue: Nearly Everyone, Everywhere, Returns Cash-Filled Wallet
Scientists conduct a social experiment in dozens of countries to see who will return a found wallet, and if results vary based on the amount of cash in it. The results surprised them. Nearly everyone, everywhere, is more likely to return a cash-filled wallet than an empty one. Bill Whittle Now explores the reasons behind this near-universal virtue, and what impact the finding should have on our political discourse.
16 replies on “Universal Virtue: Nearly Everyone, Everywhere, Returns Cash-Filled Wallet”
The reward for returning a wallet with lots of cash could be a potential relationship with a wealthy (thus powerful to a degree) person. That relationship has more future worth than the contents of the wallet. It may not be virtue, but math. Plus, the rich guy will owe you one.
The “scientists” simply proved humans aren’t stupid enough to fall for an obvious setup staged by idiots. Below is a sentence from the “scientists”:
“Our wallets were transparent business card cases, which we used to ensure that recipients could visually inspect without having to physically open the wallet (fig. S1). “
I would argue that a lost wallet that didn’t have cash looks identical to a wallet that was lost with cash in it but was then cleaned out and dropped by the first finder. Nobody wants someone to think that they returned a wallet but took the cash first. I think that may have played a part in this study.
About 6 months ago I too went to the grocery store to get food for me and the dogs. I got to chatting with the clerk and she says that will be 19 dollars and change. I pay and drive home and I am reliving the nice conversation while I’m putting everything away and got to her saying 19 dollars and just froze. I knew the dog food costs more than that and sure enough, I looked the receipt and I had not been charged for it.
I drove back to the store to pay, but being smart and old I didn’t take the heavy bag back, I just cut off the barcode. The dog food alone was $38.00 and they were happy to take my money at the service counter. 🙂
C. S. Lewis posited that the Golden Rule, which he termed “the rule of good behavior” is wired into us and relates to Romans 2:14-16.
I guess it’s the tech writer in me, but I wish I could get more information on this study. I do think there are many virtuous people in the world (as opposed to virtue signalers, who may or may not actually BE virtuous people). But I’m curious about whether the level of personal virtue is affected by geography, education level, gender, religious affiliation, and so on. Hard for me to believe The Virtuous are pretty much consistently distributed in the world… not after spending some time in Over-The-Rhine, for example.
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2019/06/19/science.aau8712
Thank you! Interesting reading.
You’re welcome.
I lost my wallet a few weeks ago two days before I was due to fly out on vacation, I was frantic. After searching maniacally at three locations where I had been I went home and my phone was blinking , someone had found it and called. Profuse thanks and I threw in a reward. My phone # wasn’t in it so he had to track that down first, I have since put a tracker on my wallet and keys.
On several occasions I’ve found items , baseball glove, a dog (!) and upon ascertaining the owner and returning the item I was met with a hurumph, not a ‘ thank you’ and almost an accusation that I had stolen it and/or was looking for a reward. In both of those cases I had to deliver the item rather then them coming to get it. Amazing.
Here’s an example of laudable virtue: any young couple who gets married today before having a baby. They lose a whole lot of money that way.
This mindset of honesty that Bill describes is the same mindset that makes one ashamed of taking charity in any form. Remember that? Now the idea is to game the system and get as much money as possible from the government.
One of my students uses a wheelchair to get around. She can bear weight, and walk a few feet, but she’s so shaky it’s much easier to use the wheelchair.
Her mom told me the story of how she and her daughter were in Walmart, looking at clothes. The mom took her daughter out of the wheelchair and walked a little while, just so the daughter could get some exercise. They go back to where the wheelchair was parked…and it’s gone!
The mother had to sit the young lady down, made sure to get someone to keep an eye on her, and looked for that chair.
I don’t know how, but she caught up with the thief trying to put the chair in her car. When confronted, the woman said, “Oh, I didn’t realize it was your wheelchair. I thought it belonged to Walmart.”
The mom gets the wheelchair back, but I have to ask. Who does that?!
“So you were going to steal from Walmart? That someone that needs that chair would be inconvenienced at their next visit isn’t a problem for you?”
I suppose that sort of person is in the ring of hell right below the people that park in handicapped parking stalls but above the people that steal the change jars for fundraisers in convenience stores.
A shout-out though to my Packers and utter derision to the NBA changing team “owners” to “governors” because the teams employ too many black Americans and the NBA think employees might think themselves slaves.
Having run a movie theater, I understand about drawer shortages….having run a movie theater with teenage thieves running scams, I really understand about drawer shortages….Actually had a customer find a huge sum of cash which a young manager, not following concession collection procedures, had dropped. He would not give me the money, not knowing whether he could trust me not to keep it, but left his information in case someone came….The minute I opened the counting room door and saw the face on the young manager, I knew whose money it was…the theater’s….That cost the theater a whole slew of passes….because I needed the man to drive back so that the day could be closed out without the shortage….Honest guy….he could have said nothing….
I love the definition of virtue signaling….akin to my first generation immigrant personal leftist, living in a sanctuary county, supporting the illegals, having a large house with space to spare….why does he not take in some? Because he is just a virtue signaler….a possibly a closet Republican….