People who have more space, such as a larger desk, are more likely to indulge in dishonest behavior like stealing, cheating, and even committing traffic violations.
The study showed more space could cause people to feel empowered, and this could illicit dishonest behavior, according to a Columbia Business School press release.
"In everyday working and living environments, our body postures are incidentally expanded and contracted by our surroundings - by the seats in our cars, the furniture in and around workspaces, even the hallways in our offices - and these environments directly influence the propensity of dishonest behavior in our everyday lives," said Andy Yap, a co-author of the study from Columbia Business School.
While most people give little thought to these postural shifts, they could have a large impact on behavior. The study found expanded nonverbal postures imposed on people by their environments could lead to dishonest behavior. The researchers looked at data from four separate studies. One study played around with different workspace environments to see how "incidentally expanded bodies" brought on by physical environments affected honesty.
"This is a real concern. Our research shows that office managers should pay attention to the ergonomics of their workspaces," Yap said. "The results suggest that these physical spaces have tangible and real-world impact on our behaviors."
Large desks were not the only spaces thought to cause dishonest behaviors, one of the studies showed the correlation between larger seats in cars and dishonest driving behavior.
One of the tests examined whether larger drivers seats would cause a person to be more likely to "hit-and-run." This study used a video game driving simulation to test the theory. The study also concluded drivers with larger seats would be more likely to be parked illegally on a New York City street.
The full study will be published in the next edition of the journal Psychological Science.
