Your intuition can keep you from cheating

People who rely on their intuition are, at times, less likely to cheat, according to a new study.

In psychological studies, intuition, or "gut instinct," is defined as the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning. Now, a University of Missouri graduate student has determined that individuals, who are prone to trust their instinctive hunches and gut feelings, may at times be less likely to commit immoral acts compared to those who tend to discount their intuition.

Findings also indicate that people who tend to rely on their gut feelings are less likely to cheat after reflecting on past experiences during which they behaved immorally.

Researcher Sarah Ward said her research has implications for the real world. In a workplace setting, for example, it might be beneficial for people to rely more on their intuitions when making morally relevant decisions. She also suggested getting people to trust their gut instincts about moral actions rather than discounting those feelings.

The study is published in the journal, Personality and Individual Differences.