Does Morality Depend on the Language We Speak? Unambiguous Research Results

The Native Language is Less Rational

Imagine a dilemma: would you sacrifice one innocent person to save five other, equally innocent people? It turns out that the answer depends on which language posed the question. The language you think in can influence your morality.

Researchers from universities in Spain and Cyprus analyzed the reactions of over 740 bilingual individuals to this moral dilemma. The results were shocking. When answering in their native language, people more often rejected the possibility of sacrificing an innocent person, guided by emotions and moral principles. When researchers asked the same question in their second language, they chose the “rational” solution that saved more people.

“I cannot kill a man” or “That would be murder; I would become a killer“—this is how participants argued in their native Spanish. However, the same subjects, answering in English, said: “I don’t want to be a passive killer” or “Allowing mass death is unacceptable.” Why this difference?

How We Learn Our Native Language

The difference lies in how we learn languages. We acquire our native language (L1) during childhood in an emotionally charged family environment. Conversely, we typically acquire a second language (L2) in school or on courses in a neutral atmosphere.

This makes L1 automatically trigger stronger emotional reactions, which translates into moral decisions based on values and conscience. L2 allows for emotional distance and “cold” thinking. Nevertheless, exceptions exist. When researchers tested Greek- and English-speaking Cypriots, the differences disappeared. Why? English is widespread in Cyprus; people use it daily in education and tourism. This intense exposure to L2 changes its emotional significance.

We also prefer talking about different things in different languages. Researchers noticed that in their native speech, it was easier to talk about guilt or emotions. Participants used richer emotional vocabulary then, expressing fear and disappointment more often. Meanwhile, they preferred discussing taboo topics—infidelity, sexual orientation, or death—in their second language. L2 creates emotional distance, allowing for more direct expression.

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Moral Choices May Depend on Language and Morality

These discoveries hold enormous significance for advertising, marketing, and, most importantly, for multilingual societies. Will a judge issuing a verdict in a second language make the same decision as in their native one? Does an immigrant handling official matters in a foreign language have an equal chance of fair treatment?

In 2020, Polish psychologist Michał Białek reached similar conclusions to the Spanish-Cypriot team. According to his research, when people describe a problem in a foreign language, we tend to choose more rational solutions. Meanwhile, the native language causes us to pay greater attention to the moral aspect of the decision.

The research clearly shows the problem’s complexity. Our moral choices depend not only on the language, but also on the intensity of contact with L2, the type of dilemma, and even the specific words used in the question. In an era of globalization, where millions of people make important daily decisions in non-native languages, understanding how language and morality connect becomes crucial.

Read this article in Polish: Czy moralność zależy od języka, w którym mówimy? Jednoznaczne wyniki badań