Utilitarian moral agents are perceived as braver and more moral when judged in a foreign language: Evidence from Tanzania
Abstract We examined how language affects moral judgments in a non-WEIRD population. Tanzanian participants (N = 103) evaluated utilitarian agents in moral dilemmas, either in native Chagga or foreign Swahili. Agents were rated significantly more moral and braver when evaluated in a foreign language. Bravery predicted morality more strongly in the foreign language than in the native language. Indirect sacrifices were judged more moral than direct ones, but equally brave. These findings extend the moral foreign language effect to informally acquired languages and highlight methodological implications for cross-cultural research.
Authors
- Anna Borkowska (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8971-9868)
- Michał Białek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5062-5733)
- Piotr Sorokowski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9225-9965)
- Wojciech Milczarski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8215-5190)
- Marina Butovskaya (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5528-0519)
- Hatice Kübra Tekşam (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6054-2632)
Institutions
- National Research University Higher School of Economics (RU)
- Van Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi (TR)
- University of Wrocław (PL)
- Institute of Psychology (PL)
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Psychology (CZ)
- Professional Education and Research Institute (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Bilingualism Language and Cognition
- Published
- 2025-11-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s1366728925100837
- Primary Topic
- Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00