Moral typecasting overrides self-presentational reluctance to inflict pain

Evidence

Of course, this study was designed to highlight the importance of perceptions of patiency, so future studies should examine the extent to which people spontaneously rely on moral agency and patiency in outcome decisions. However, we find it notable that these results were obtained with likely self-presentational effects operating against our hypothesis—no one wants to be the one to hurt an elderly nun on her way to sainthood. Consistent with this notion, we sometimes observed nervous laughter as people meted out hypothetical pain pills—pills that they nonetheless gave to good agents—suggesting that there may be some truth to the idea that “no good deed goes unpunished.” — Kurt Gray and Daniel M. Wegner, Moral Typecasting, 144

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Kurt Gray and Daniel M. Wegner, Moral Typecasting: Divergent…, 144
• XREF: connects to: Casting someone as a moral agent reduces perceived sensitivity to pain — Kurt Gray and Daniel M. Wegner, Moral Typecasting: Divergent…, 88; People rationally allocate pain and pleasure by target moral sensitivity. — Kurt Gray and Daniel M. Wegner, Moral Typecasting: Divergent…, 137; Moral typecasting operates independently of whether actions are good or bad — Kurt Gray and Daniel M. Wegner, Moral Typecasting: Divergent…, 57 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Perceived moral agency predicts expected behavioral tolerance of pain #corroborates (0.80) — Kurt Gray and Daniel M. Wegner, Moral Typecasting, 75
• Moral typecasting operates independently of whether actions are good or bad #qualifies (0.78) — Kurt Gray and Daniel M. Wegner, Moral Typecasting, 57
• The feeling of pain depends on how it is socially expressed #qualifies (0.72) — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular, 429