Bragging About Third-Party Punishment Harms Moral Reputation Less Than Bragging About Helping

Abstract: Prior research has shown that bragging about helping undermines moral reputation, by raising suspicion that this individual is self-promoting their virtuous deeds. We consider whether bragging about third-party punishment—in which observers impose costs on wrongdoers—elicits a less negative effect on moral reputation than bragging about helping. We find that bragging about third-party punishing is less diagnostic of self-promotion than bragging about helping, since punishment conveys mixed signals about an individual’s character. We also find that bragging about third-party punishing is perceived as informing others about wrongdoings committed by unethical perpetrators, providing cover for bragging when this information is highly relevant. In contrast, remaining silent about third-party punishing elicits backlash when disclosing this information is highly relevant. Thus, the present research advances understanding of the effects of bragging about third-party punishing, contributing to the self-promotion and third-party punishment literatures.

Keywords: Third-Party Punishment, Bragging, Morality