People who commit reckless or immoral acts are less likely to be judged harshly if they avoid serious consequences suggests a study published today in the Society's British Journal of Psychology.

The study, published today, was carried out by a team of researchers at Texas AM University to see how those who act questionably are regarded by others.

The findings showed that any judgments are heavily influenced by the outcomes of their actions. 

For instance, a person who throws a brick and harms nobody in the process will be judged less harshly than somebody who commits the same act and kills a person.

"Both threw a brick, so logically they should both be held accountable, but the lucky guy gets away with it," said Professor Heather Lench, a psychology specialist at Texas AM University.

Similarly, she pointed out that a drink-driver who hits and kills a child will be hit with a more severe punishment than another person who drives while intoxicated and does not hurt anyone.

Professor Lench stated that while both while have committed the same offence, the only difference between the two is that "one got lucky".

The full study can be accessed here.

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