The Interpersonal Consequences of Moral Grandstanding

Abstract

Moral grandstanding refers to the use of moral talk to gain status. Although moral grandstanding has a negative impact on general discourse, little is known about its interpersonal consequences; in other words, how are grandstanders perceived by others? In three studies (N = 525), we examined how prestige and dominance-based moral grandstanding is associated with a range of interpersonal outcomes (Study 1 and 2: social status, morality, attraction; Study 3: engagement and morality), and how these effects are moderated by perceptions of hypocrisy (Study 2) and shared attitudes (Study 3). Results from these studies indicate that prestige-based moral grandstanding was associated with more positive perceptions of status, morality, and interpersonal attraction compared to dominance-based moral grandstanding.