Putting distance through cleansing : the mediating role of temporal distancing on the embodiment of moral purity

Abstract

Ever since the embodiment of moral cleanliness was first empirically tested and documented by Zhong and Liljenquist (2006), many studies have further demonstrated the metaphorical association between physical and psychological cleansing, though in a descriptive rather than exploratory manner. This study is instigated for the purposes of the latter, and aims to investigate the role of subjective distancing as a potential mediator to the embodied link in moral settings. More specifically, it is hypothesized that compared to individuals who do not clean their hands, those who do so after recalling a past immoral act would be more likely to temporally distance their present selves away from their past immoral selves so as to preserve favorable self-view, and hence are more likely to perceive their past moral transgressions as less severe than they would have normally believed. The prediction was unsupported by the data collected, and we discuss reasons for it, as well as suggest future improvements and research directions.