Experiments show that children prefer non-stolen money from a “bad” person over stolen money from an “okay” person, researchers report.
When people deposit a $100 bill into their bank accounts, they don’t imagine that when they later withdraw $100 they will get the same bill. After all, the only thing that matters about money is its amount. A dollar is just like any other dollar unless it comes with a tainted past.
“People tend to imbue objects with essences,” says Arber Tasimi, assistant professor of psychology at Emory University. “We can be put off by objects that we know have a ‘bad’ essence because of an immoral history, like a sweater worn by Hitler. And money doesn’t appear to be an exception.”