Moral Dilemma

I've recently read the results from two independent studies which seem to confirm and validate their respective findings.

Several months ago, I read a report in Miller-McCune which suggests that immersion in nature makes us nicer. Even when it's not possible to be outside—for instance, when we're stuck working in an office building—simply adding plants and flowers to the decor can have a dramatic "humanizing" effect.

In contrast, the same study also found that man-made environments oriented people toward more selfish, self-interested ends.

The result: "Those exposed to the nature scenes placed a higher value on community/connectedness values and a lower value on self-oriented values."

This morning, I read the findings from the second study in a report on the Science Daily website. This study found that "clean smells" promote moral behavior. They cite their research which suggests that when Citrus Windex Cleaner was spritzed around the room, they found a dramatic improvement in ethical behavior—"people are unconsciously fairer and more generous when they are in clean-smelling environments."

I know for a fact that I feel better about myself and the world around me when my house is clean, but I wonder if the second study is noticing their participants reacting to a "clean smell" or a natural smell. They repeatedly point out they used a citrus Windex product... not chlorine bleach, for example. I mean, if I really want to sanitize something, I would normally pour a cap full of bleach in some hot water and get to work. I suppose I associate the smell of chlorine bleach with "clean." However, I won't argue that citrus is a more pleasant smell, probably because it is a natural scent, not a chemical odor.

"Together, these findings suggest that full contact with nature can have humanizing effects," the researchers from the first study concluded. "Our results suggest that, to the extent our links with nature are disrupted, we may also lose some connection with each other."

Hmm...so, given all this new information, do you suppose if I spritz some Orange-Glo around my bakery at work, maybe hang a Boston fern in the corner, my boss will cough-up a raise?

Or would I just hand him back my paycheck—you know, to use for the intrinsic common-good of the business?

Arrrgh! I hate moral dilemmas. I think I'll just stick to chlorine bleach. :/

~ Robin