You’re walking down the street, you look at the ground and you come across a wallet full of money. What are you doing? This question may seem trivial, given that it points to our personal motivations, but it is key to understanding the workings of “integrity” in modern societies. Or at least that’s how it was interpreted by a group of academics who studied what people around the world do when they find other people’s money.

The answer is surprising.

Methodology. The study, prepared by a group of researchers from various institutions and led by University of Michigan professor Alain Cohn, used a simple methodology. Distributed more than 17,000 wallets containing varying amounts of money (from 11 Euros to 90 Euros) in public and private buildings in 355 cities (40 different countries) worldwide. He then waited for people to encounter them and act accordingly.

Results. Contrary to expectations, money prevented the hiding of lost items. While the return rate in wallets without money or with small amounts did not exceed 51 percent, this rate reached 72 percent in wallets full of bills. In 38 of the 40 countries analysed, the majority of people preferred to return a wallet rather than have it empty if it contained a small fortune.

So, if you lose a wallet, you’re much more likely to get it back if it’s full of money.

Illogical. Strange, isn’t it? The researchers started from the same intuitive foundation as we do: Greed (free money, after all) would trump civic duty or conscience. What they discovered was just the opposite. The urge to satisfy the unfortunate owner of the wallet far outweighed the interest in personal enrichment. Thus, the study found a common denominator for all modern societies: “civic integrity.”

Society. Because? The study suggests that the motivation is similar to the motivation that allows for the maintenance of a tax system or legal compliance. People pay taxes and accept the terms of a contract not because of legal rigidity but because they reflect a moral commitment to other people. This is the basis of every functional society; It is a civic duty that extends to certain anecdotes, such as returning a wallet to its rightful owner.

Selfishness. Of course, that’s not all. Our social perception is high, but the importance we attach to our personal perception is also high. Researchers found that high portfolio return rate rich Because we don’t want to see ourselves as thieves: “Psychological powers may be more important than financial powers.” So, we feel bad when we steal other people’s money because we can’t stand the self-imposed guilt.

This is another form of selfishness. Something that results in civil honesty.

Results. So it’s a mix of social intelligence and personal sense of self. Logic questions the theoretical principles of economics. When the authors asked 297 professional economists to predict the results of their studies based on their own knowledge, the vast majority answered that portfolios with more money would produce lower rates of return. They were wrong.

We prefer to live with a clear conscience rather than have 90€ more in our pocket. It doesn’t make sense economically, but it makes sense psychologically.

Image | EVG Photos/Pexels

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*An earlier version of this article was published in June 2019.