The Hawthorne Effect is a very interesting phenomenon. The term was coined in 1955 when reviewing experiments done earlier at the Hawthorne Works factory near Chicago. Simply, it is the increased productivity that occurs when workers are being observed. In medicine, it could be considered that improvement that occurs in a patient simply by the doctor measuring his or her symptoms or illness. This is part of the "placebo effect."
The concept is in the Bible as well. Ephesians 6:6 says when working, don't just work hard when you are being watched (ophthalmodoulia), of course implying that is what happens. The Christian is to be a faithful, hard-working servant, working for God and not for man. The believer is one who knows that someone is actually watching him or her at all times. How few of us fit this category, if measured by our behavior?
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