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Social and behavioural

Seven new deadly sins: 6) Excessive debt

This post is part of the Research Digest’s Sin Week. Each day for seven days we’ll be posting a confession, a new sin and a way to be good.

12 February 2011

By Christian Jarrett

‘The financial crisis we’re in originated partly because of people running up huge debts they couldn’t pay,’ says Roy Baumeister of Florida State University.

‘Politicians and governments also spend beyond their means, creating debts that future generations will be stuck with. If people were mindful of avoiding the sin of excessive debt, both they and society would be better off.’