Do laws change human behavior?

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Monika Da Luz, 13 plus years in a B-mod work situation

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Ingrid Burling, Executive Coach and Master NLP Coach for 15 years
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Suretta Williams, Family member in law enforcement

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Hadley Parum, people are cool, in theory

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To some degree, maybe.

The law isn't going to stop anyone dead set on murder, but it definitely diminishes the number of people
who act violently. Many people, myself included, have violent urges that they suppress out of selfpreservation, and self-preservation alone.
But laws still only work if they're agreed upon en masse; prohibition didn't work for this reason. Laws
won't trump addiction, revenge, or true justice.
Written Aug 30, 2015 View Upvotes
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Martyn V. Halm, Abused as a child, now father to two children. Pragmatic Existentialist. Author.
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Like Disraeli said, "When men are pure, laws are useless; when men are corrupt, laws are broken."
Most people who adhere to the law, even if there were not sanctions. Criminals treat the law like it doesn't
exist. The only people the law affects are those who are tempted, but scared away by the consequences of
unlawful behaviour.
Written Aug 10, 2015 View Upvotes
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Roberto Vilar, Learning it with "low potential" teenagers, for more than 7 years.
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Yes of course.
Mostly the laws which are suppose to protect us against ourselves.
The laws on road traffic and driving under alcool decrease road deaths.
The ban for cigarets on public places follow the same logic.
They could be other solutions, but laws are one of those.
Updated Aug 30, 2015 View Upvotes
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Edward Jameson, Essayist and misunderstood Humorist

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I agree somewhat with Martyn V. Halm, but I feel I should clarify.

I disagree with the statement that "Criminals treat the law like it doesn't exist." That is demonstrably
false as criminals take steps to ensure that they do not get caught. So criminals do take the law into
account.
So the short answer is that laws do change human behavior. But as with most laws, it is not in the manner
that the lawmakers intended.
Written Aug 30, 2015 View Upvotes
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Marcus William, sometimes I am one. It's alright.

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Laws are about distributing our resources---things like wealth, political power, social 'justice', access to
food and water and shelter and medical help.
Laws do change human behavior, but not necessarily towards lawful behavior or productive ends for
humanity as a whole. They are not there to keep people from killing each other or to make people happy
or to make things fair: they simply reflect the respective power dynamics in whatever given contexts.
Laws are themselves a form of human behavior, and one of the many interdependent systems of sanction,
social control, and exercising power towards special interests and ingroup benefits. They can only shape
human behavior insofar as they are an extension of that behavior and one of the tools people can use to
get things they want by force.
Written Oct 15 View Upvotes
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Revathy Srinivasan, Being You!

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Yes. Law does change people and their actions.

Let me share my experience, there are no strict laws on Indian roads so we never used to bother looking
for vehicles while crossing roads let alone waiting for signal. But after being in NZ and following the
pedestrian signal, my behavior to road signals have improved a lot and has become more of a habit. Now

even if I go back to India I will follow the traffic rules whether others do or not. Since my behavior
towards road code is different now.
Strict laws alter us and following them for a long run unknowingly brings a change within.
Thanks for your A2A.
Written Aug 11, 2015 View Upvotes
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Johnnie Lockett, Human and behaving for almost sixty years.

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Absolutely. Four times in the mid seventies I found myself pointing a gun at someone. And
four times I didn't shoot because of some law, whether the law of men or the law of God.
This also extends to natural laws. Because of the law of gravity, people don't step out of planes without
parachutes or something else to help them land safely. Because of certain other laws of physics, people
don't step in front of speeding vehicles.
Written Aug 11, 2015 View Upvotes
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Jeffrey Ese Akwahsam

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Most certainly.
Especially laws that have associated penalties, which are enforced.
All men have innate desires. Like the desire to live and be happy. How these are achieved, is dependent on
their training from birth. Each person's implementation of the knowledge acquired from this training is
what we call behavior.
What you call wrong or right is based on point of view. What you call fairness, is simply a realization that,
if I am going to expect this for myself, I should respect others having the same expectations or they will
hinder my own chances if I hinder theirs. So, it is a higher intellectual prowess that make humans more
civilized than monkeys, and monkeys more than lions.
However, not all have this sense at the same level. So, if we must live civilized, we must make laws that
govern all. Set standards.

People obey laws for one or more of these reasons

1. Fear of the powers of the enforcer

2. Agreement with the standards of the law based on personal acquired standards
So, a person's behavior, that isn't in line with the law, will end up being trained to adjust to the path of the
law based on #1 above, over time. Just as every other of his behavior was formed by training. This is of
cause is highly dependent on other factors of the individual, like
the perceived weight of the penalty

the value they place on life and happiness especially when the disobedience is deemed an
integral part of their happiness