The mere feeling of being observed shifts behavior from selfish to reciprocal norms
Evidence
If there is a swing from trust to distrust – and the same is true in the rarer reverse case – then the distruster adapts his behaviour to this new pattern of expectation and thus makes his change of attitude socially apparent. Distrust is made manifest by distrustful behaviour. Interpersonal behaviour is not a matter merely of ad hoc experience but something interpreted in terms of underlying ‘attitudes’, and used for the formation of expectations. — Niklas Luhmann, Trust and Power, 271 (
#exemplifies, via linked claim)
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: Being watched cues reliably boost prosocial behavior and suppress cheating; Perceived surveillance reliably reduces opportunism across everyday settings; Belief in supernatural watchers evolved as an adaptive guard against selfishness (+7 more)
Related
- Distrust becomes socially visible through distrustful behavior (similarity 0.87)
- In simple societies distrust is itself punished as a breach of law. (similarity 0.82)
- Supernatural watcher beliefs check selfish behavior once social worlds grew transparent (similarity 0.79)
- Distrust is a self-reinforcing, self-fulfilling social dynamic. (similarity 0.79)
- Being watched cues reliably boost prosocial behavior and suppress cheating (similarity 0.78)
Broader Connections
- Belief in supernatural watchers evolved as an adaptive guard against selfishness
#corroborates(0.85) - Distrust becomes socially visible through distrustful behavior
#exemplifies(0.72) — Niklas Luhmann, Trust and Power, 271