"The eye on the wall spots the selfish gene."



A simple experiment in a typical office kitchen takes us inside the human mind, writes Ian Sample.

HONESTY may well be the best policy, but it often deserts us when no one is watching, psychologists say. Experiments with an honesty box to collect payments for hot drinks reveal that people are better at paying up when under the watchful gaze of a pair of eyes.

The surprise is that the eyes were not real, but photographed. The finding, which researchers believe sheds light on our evolutionary past, could be turned to practical use.

Psychologists say images of beady eyes could boost ticket sales on public transport and improve surveillance systems to deter antisocial behaviour.

Researchers at Newcastle University set up the experiment in secret, so colleagues would not change their behaviour. They attached a poster to a cupboard of mugs above an honesty box alongside a kettle, with tea, coffee and milk. Over 10 weeks, they alternated weekly between images of eyes and flowers.

"We put the poster in a position that you couldn't fail to see it as you were getting a mug," says Melissa Bateson, a behavioural biologist and leader of the study.

At the end of each week Dr Bateson totted up the money in the honesty box and the amount of milk used - an indicator of the number of drinks consumed. The money shot up every week the poster showed a pair of eyes.

Bateson says that even though the eyes were not real they still seemed to make people behave more honestly. The effect may arise from behavioural traits that developed as early humans formed social groups that bolstered their chances of survival. For social groups to work individuals had to co-operate for the good of the group rather than act selfishly.

"There's an argument that if nobody is watching us it is in our interests to behave selfishly. But when we think we're being watched we should behave better, so people see us as co-operative and behave the same way towards us," Bateson says.

People paid between 10 pence (25 cents) and 30 pence when pictures of flowers were put up. When the eyes were used the payments went up to nearly 70 pence a litre. People paid more if the eyes were those of a male.

"We thought we'd get a subtle effect with eyes, but it was really quite striking how much difference they made. Even at a subconscious level, it seems people respond to eyes, and that might be because eyes and faces send a strong biological signal we have evolved to respond to."

The scientists say companies and governments could tap into our evolved response to a person's gaze to improve honesty. "It raises interesting questions about how we might improve systems to reduce antisocial behaviour and things like making people pay up on public transport. Signs that say 'CCTV cameras in operation' should, perhaps, be accompanied by a pair of eyes instead of a picture of a camera. We've not evolved to pay much attention to cameras," Bateson says.

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What is the first important point of this story?

Do you think you are less selfish when you imagine someone is watching you than when you imagine you are alone?

If so, do you accept that fact about yourself? I sure hope so.

Male eyes brought in more money than female. Do you accept the fact of subliminal influence on the subconscious mind?

Images formed by age seven usually give greater power to men than to women. I hope all men and women accept their relative powers and responsibilities.

Imagination can lead or destroy us.

Copyright 2006 Cole's Poetic License