{"id":1949,"date":"2013-06-27T04:20:30","date_gmt":"2013-06-27T04:20:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/?p=564"},"modified":"2013-06-27T04:20:30","modified_gmt":"2013-06-27T04:20:30","slug":"the-big-desk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/the-big-desk\/","title":{"rendered":"The Consequences of a Big Desk"},"content":{"rendered":"

So it turns out size does matter when it comes to your desk, although it may not matter in the way you originally thought.\u00a0 New research from Berkeley (as well as other universities) has shown that larger desk may lead to more dishonesty in the person sitting at it.\u00a0 Researchers believe this may be linked to posture and not just the desk size, but they don\u2019t deny that a bigger desk does lead to a greater sense of power which might also be a cause.<\/p>\n

\u201cThree experiments found consistent evidence that expansive posture, whether posed, or shaped incidentally by one\u2019s desk space or driver\u2019s seat can lead to dishonest behavior.\u201d \u2013 The Ergonomics of Dishonesty.<\/a><\/p>\n

So how did researchers come across this data?\u00a0 The study performed on 71 individuals tested them in different situations, including completing tasks at a desk, driving, and simply holding a pose.\u00a0 Half were forced into a contractive position, the other into an expansive pose.\u00a0 They were then given the opportunity to steal, cheat, or \u201chit and run\u201d on the driving test.\u00a0 Those in the expansive position were much more likely to lie, cheat, and steal than those who were cramped.<\/p>\n

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Does sitting in a bigger car seat or at a larger desk really make us morally deprived?\u00a0 Researchers think that posture has more to do with it than the desk itself.\u00a0 When we as humans sit in a larger space we tend to be more assertive and outspoken.\u00a0 Cramped and small spaces are linked to a sense of helplessness and stress.\u00a0 Larger areas and desks reduce stress, and make you feel more confident and willing to take chances.\u00a0 Sitting at a larger desk or in a bigger car seat is actually good for you, provided you don\u2019t let it get to your head.<\/p>\n

Will that bigger desk turn you from model employee to evil heartless boss?\u00a0 The short answer is probably not.\u00a0 Power doesn’t seem to corrupt directly, it simply enhances your pre-existing moral fiber.\u00a0 If you were prone to stealing office supplies and backstabbing your coworkers, a promotion will only increase that attitude.\u00a0 If you are a hardworking employee that has always been by the book, it is unlikely that power will turn you evil.\u00a0 As Lincoln said \u201cNearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man\u2019s character, give him power.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So it turns out size does matter when it comes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[508],"tags":[456,457,458,459],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1949"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1949"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1949\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}