Spray liberally near the stingy

Ah, the sweet smell of fairness and generosity.

That's what's in the air in clean-smelling environments, according to a new study that found that a spritz of citrus-scented Windex can prompt people to unconsciously act more fairly and generously.

In an experiment, researchers from Northwestern University and Brigham Young University gave subjects $12, supposedly passed along by someone in another room, with instructions to divide the money fairly. Those in a room that was Windex-scented shared an average of $5.33, vs. $2.81 for those in an unscented room.

In a second experiment, people in the Windexed room were more likely to volunteer for a Habitat for Humanity project or to say they'd like to give money to the cause.

Cheryl V. Jackson