Why do we keep promises

In the Public Goods game, those players who have invested more tokens report the most intense negative emotions, and this intensity also increases when the amount of tokens invested by the other player is lower.

The problem of strategic commitment, thus, derives from a broader puzzle that challenges the assumption of natural or rational selfish behaviour. Of course, it may be argued, in keeping with Sen's view, that there are moral reasons to keep our promises-we ought not manipulate others to obtain a strategic advantage over them.

In fact, as Tomasello and Vaish have recently argued, the mechanisms that enable morality and cooperation share a common evolutionary origin. The last decades of research on pro social behaviour have proved that the individualistic, self-centred, and egoistic model of instrumental rationality offers a narrow understanding of human agency and motivation.

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Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 17 4 , We may want to write the promise down as we are learning or re-learning to keep our word. Make it clear and measurable. When a promise is vague, especially with children, it is effortless to find a way to work around that commitment. Make that commitment an essential, high priority, to keep the promise. It may also need to perform it quickly or keep a reminder for the time and place that we agreed to complete our pledge.

When we keep our commitment to an activity, team or individual, others will trust us, think of us as mature, reliable individuals. Most important we are honoring ourselves as having value, not feeling disappointed in ourselves or like we let ourselves down again. All of this is true for children and adults. Check out some of the simple starter promises that we can begin our children on so they are building self-esteem as well as trust in themselves while others see them for their integrity.

Check out Numbers and Deuteronomy for more. You receive blessing so you can be a blessing! Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Essay Why is keeping promises important? Ben Davis April 30, Why is keeping promises important? What does keeping promises mean?

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