What is an example of moral licensing?

The salad, then the dessert: Ordering a healthy main 'earns' the indulgent dessert.

Where do you see moral licensing in everyday life?

The salad, then the dessert; Green, then wasteful; Donated, so I can skip; 'I worked out, so…'; 'We did our part'.

Notice the 'I've earned it' feeling after a good deed — that's the license forming; don't cash it in.

Curated by Paulo de Vries · reviewed 2026-06-01

Moral licensing is how doing — or even just intending — something good gives us subconscious permission to act worse afterward. Examples:

The salad, then the dessert
Ordering a healthy main 'earns' the indulgent dessert.
Green, then wasteful
One eco-friendly choice quietly licenses a wasteful one right after.
Donated, so I can skip
A good deed becomes credit you spend against the next ask.
'I worked out, so…'
The morning gym session licenses a lazy, junk-filled rest of the day.
'We did our part'
Doing one fair thing can make a group feel it's done enough, and ease off.

Notice the 'I've earned it' feeling after a good deed — that's the license forming; don't cash it in.
Frame choices by identity, not balance: 'I'm someone who eats well,' not 'I worked out, so I'm owed dessert.'
Be most vigilant right after doing something good — that's exactly when your guard quietly drops.

That's just how memory works. Lock moral licensing in with a 5-minute active-recall session — spaced repetition, no signup.

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