Author(s)

Claude Messner^*, Adrian Brügger

Institute of Consumer Behavior, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

Doing something moral gives one a license to do something immoral. This form of moral compen-sation is called “moral self-licensing”. Interestingly, the moral behavior can take place in another domain than the subsequent immoral behavior. For example, buying eco-friendly products gives one a license to steal. This article is based on the idea that a healthy diet has a moral dimension. As a consequence, consuming a healthy product should give one a license for immoral behavior. This research supports this hypothesis on a playful study. This study shows that drinking sauerkraut juice contributes to a stronger support of Nazi-esque right wing ideology than drinking either nothing or a less-healthy beverage (Nestea).

Moral Self-Licensing, Prejudice, Stereotypes, Nutrition, Health

Messner, C. and Brügger, A. (2015) Nazis by Kraut: A Playful Application of Moral Self-Licensing. Psychology, 6, 1144-1149. doi: 10.4236/psych.2015.69112.