Watching eyes prevent littering on street

London: People are less likely to drop litter if it has printed eyes on it, according to the researchers at Newcastle University in Britain. An image of watching eyes reduced the odds of littering by around two thirds.

The study is based on the theory of 'nudge psychology', which suggests that people may behave better if the best option in a given situation is highlighted for them. In effect, you 'nudge' people into doing the right thing.

"Our work shows that the presence of eye images can encourage cooperative behaviour and we think this is because people feel they are being watched," said Daniel Nettle from the Centre for Behaviour and Evolution.

"As we care what other people think about us, we behave better and more honestly when we feel we are being observed," Nettle added.