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TED-Ed

Would you pass the wallet test?

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12,802 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

Picture this: you’re working a shift in a hotel lobby when someone approaches the front desk. They found a lost wallet around the corner, but they’re in a rush and don’t have time to follow up. Looking at the wallet you see it contains a key, grocery list, about $13, and three business cards you assume belong to the wallet’s owner. So, what do you do? Dig into the infamous lost wallet experiment.

Additional Resources for you to Explore

Wanting more? 

This NPR article and short radio clip explores what we can learn about honesty from the Wallet Test. You can check out the text of the scientific paper itself for an even deeper dive into the study's methods, data and results. 

Read up about honesty in general and why it matters with this blog post by Character Lab. Plus, this intriguing opinion piece explores what philosophers and scientists know about lying, and why perhaps we should do more thinking about honesty. 

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

Educator
Kelso Harper
Director
Maryna Buchynska, and action creative agency
Narrator
Jack Cutmore-Scott
Animator
Volodymyr Boyko
Illustrator
Gena Gudkova
Art Director
Olga Barabakh , Maryna Buchynska
Composer
Jan Willem De With
Sound Designer
Jan Willem De With
Director of Production
Gerta Xhelo
Producer
Anna Bechtol
Associate Producer
Abdallah Ewis
Editorial Director
Alex Rosenthal
Editorial Producer
Dan Kwartler
Fact-Checker
Charles Wallace
Additional Collaborator
Alain Cohn

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