Viewed from a different angle

There is a brief article in the July 19, 2009 edition of New Scientist, 'Honest Joes' and cheaters unmasked in brain scans.

The first sentence identifies the finding.

Honest people don't have to work at not cheating. They're not even tempted.

The second sentence then identifies how the finding might be used.

That's the conclusion of the first-ever neurobiological study of honesty and cheating, which could someday help develop brain-based tests of truthfulness.

What they do not discuss, and which I think is far more fascinating, is: why do some people never even consider cheating while others appear to reserve it as an option to consider when presented with the opportunity.

There is nothing in the article to indicate it, but I would speculate that this is a product of upbringing; home-training. For some, honesty is a bed-rock behavior. For others, cheating is viewed as a legitimate tactic given the circumstances and objective. It sure would be interesting to understand what is behind these two choices and how individuals arrive at a point where they each unconciously pursue one path or the other.