JUDGING PEOPLE
Make a stupid mistake and you're likely to feel pretty embarrassed about it. But you don't have to worry about being branded for life.
You can restore your reputation pretty quickly. All it takes is a single sign of intelligence or competence, reported John Skowronski, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at Ohio State University, in a recent issue of the European Journal of Social Psychology.
That's because most of us believe that even intelligent people can sometimes do really stupid things, such as getting lost in their own home. But commit an immoral act and you'll have to work exceedingly hard to dispel a reputation for villainy.
People are judged much more leniently on intelligence than on morality, Skowronski found when he asked 120 college students to evaluate people from written reports of their behavior. "We believe that honest, moral people always act that way. One very immoral act and you're no longer seen that way." It took at least three very noble acts- like refusing to accept a big bribe to hush up defects at a nuclear plant-to offset one dastardly one.
