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Lying and Health: Study Results

Over the 10-week study, both groups lied less. However, the group told they couldn’t lie told fewer lies than the comparison group.

By week 10, the no-lie group was telling, on average, less than one white lie, down from more than three in week two. The comparison group was still telling more than three, down from nearly six in week two.

Both groups reduced their major lies, but the no-lie group reduced those lies much more.

The link between less lying and improved health was seen in both groups, Kelly found.

“In a given week, if they told fewer lies, they also reported their health was better,” Kelly says.

“The connection between lying less and improved health, following the people over 10 weeks, was amplified by being in the no-lie group,” she says.  “The connection was even stronger.”

For instance, in a given week, if a member of the no-lie group reduced white lies by three, they had more than four fewer mental health complaints.

In the comparison group, if someone reduced their white lies by three, they had just two fewer mental health complaints, she says.

“When a given person was lying less, they also reported their relationships were better,” she says.

That, she says, explains the link between lying less and better health.

Why? “What we are suggesting is, not violating others’ expectation of honesty is likely to build trust, which may be key to good health through improving our relationships.”

The study was funded by the John Templeton Foundation.

How Telling Lies Affects Health  was originally published on blackdoctor.org

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