When people pursue their goals using strategies that match their motivational orientation — for instance, a promotion-focused person using eager, approach-oriented strategies — psychologists call this "regulatory fit." Prior research suggested this sense of doing things the right way doesn't just feel good; it might also amplify moral tendencies, making honest people more honest and dishonest-leaning people more dishonest. If true, this would be a powerful and practical tool for encouraging ethical behavior in everyday contexts, from tax compliance to workplace conduct.

We set out to put this idea to the test. Across three large, pre-registered studies with a combined total of 3,150 participants, we attempted to replicate the original findings using well-established measures of moral character — Honesty-Humility and Moral Disengagement — alongside incentivized behavioral tasks measuring cheating and tax reporting intentions.

Our conclusion? The original effect did not hold up. Regardless of whether participants experienced regulatory fit, their moral behavior remained consistent with their underlying character. The findings raise important questions about the robustness of regulatory fit as a moral intervention and highlight the need for independent replication in this area of psychology.

Ścigała, K. A., Schild, C., & Pfattheicher, S. (2025). Revisiting regulatory fit and its effect on honesty: A replication attempt. European Journal of Personality. https://doi.org/10.1177/08902070251410250