It’s no accident that money obtained through dishonest or
illegal means is called “dirty money.” A new study from the University of
California, Berkeley, suggests that when people perceive money as morally
tainted, they also view it as having less value and purchasing power.
Challenging the belief that “all money is green,” and that
people will cross ethical boundaries to amass it, social scientists from UC
Berkeley and Stanford University have found compelling evidence that the source
of wealth really does matter. In fact, some people avoid ill-gotten gains –
such as profits from unfair labor practices or insider trading – for fear of
“moral contagion,” according to a paper published this week in the online issue
of the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.