Why do we act differently when we know we’re being watched?

Ever felt like you were doing better at a video game just because your friends were spectating next to you? Or perhaps have you realised that you were underperforming during an exam because the invigilator was standing over your shoulder?

This common occurrence is referred to as the Hawthorne effect. Studies have shown that our brains can react, and thus cause a change in behaviour, when we know that we are actively being perceived. Despite the term not being coined until the 1950s by sociologist Henry A. Landsberger, it was actually named after a series of experiments conducted in the 1920s in Western Electric’s Hawthorne Works, an electrical plant located in Cicero, Illinois. Researcher Elton Mayo created a long term study involving the company’s staff, as part of which he observed whether the environment’s lighting affected their work productivity and efficiency.

Initially, the results of the experiment supported Mayo’s hypothesis, with the staff working better in a brighter environment and poorer in a darker one. Over time however, as the staff realised they were being constantly examined, they began working at the same rate, regardless of the room’s condition. This instance was one of many which supported the existence of the Hawthorne effect.

This phenomenon is partially caused by dopamine– the neurotransmitter that induces excitement, as well as motivation. Furthermore, a more psychological interpretation implies that humans are inclined to improve their performance quality when knowingly representing themselves or a bigger party.

Later findings exhibited how the Hawthorne effect can cause humans to steer results to their will, inhibiting scientists from distinguishing between those subject to the Hawthorne effect and the actual independent variable of the experiment. It later called for precautionary measures such as not revealing the role of human subjects in an experiment, or keeping them unbeknownst to the fact that they are being watched (which, not surprisingly, is now the universal standard).

At the end of the day, the Hawthorne effect is just one of the many high profile psychological paradoxes currently being studied by psychologists. Under a watchful eye, some may display an improvement in conduct while others may be disadvantaged by the pressure. Although harmful in experiments, it is simply an inevitable side effect in daily life.

References

Cherry, K. (13 October 2020). The Hawthorne Effect and Behavioral Studies. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-hawthorne-effect-2795234

Ferlazzo, L. (8 December 2011). I Like This Interpretation of “The Hawthorne Effect”. https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2011/12/08/i-like-this-interpretation-of-the-hawthorne-effect/

Perera, A. (28 May 2021). What is the Hawthorne Effect? SimplyPsychology.

https://www.simplypsychology.org/hawthorne-effect.html