Will placing the signature line on the top of the contract make people more honest? That’s what Dan Ariely says in his article in the Harvard Business Review Article entitled The End of Rational Economics. Why is this the case?
Let’s go back a little. Mr. Ariely found in a study that if given the opportunity people cheat a little bit when on their own. But if they’re reminded of the Ten Commandments, they don’t cheat. So remind people of their ethical standards through little mechanisms such as the act of signing your name at the top of a form and people act more ethically.