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Related Experiment Videos

Lying in everyday life

B M DePaulo1, D A Kashy, S E Kirkendol

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville 22903, USA. bmd@virginia.edu

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|May 1, 1996
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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People frequently tell lies in daily social interactions, often for self-centered reasons. These everyday lies, though not taken seriously, can decrease the pleasantness and intimacy of social encounters.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Lying is a common human behavior.
  • Understanding the motivations and consequences of everyday deception is crucial for social psychology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the frequency, motivations, and perceived seriousness of everyday lies.
  • To examine how the self-oriented or other-oriented nature of lies varies based on the gender of the liar and the recipient.
  • To assess the impact of everyday lying on the quality of social interactions.

Main Methods:

  • Two diary studies were conducted with college students and community members.
  • Participants self-reported instances of lying, categorizing them as self-centered or other-oriented.
  • Data were collected on the gender of individuals involved in the interaction and the perceived impact on social interaction quality.

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Main Results:

  • Participants reported telling 1-2 lies per day.
  • Self-centered lies were more common than other-oriented lies, with an exception in same-gender female dyads.
  • Lies told to men were more self-centered, while lies told to women were more other-oriented.
  • Lying was perceived as a low-stakes activity with little planning or worry about detection.
  • Social interactions involving lies were reported as less pleasant and less intimate.

Conclusions:

  • Everyday lying is a frequent, often self-serving, social behavior.
  • Gender dynamics influence the motivation behind deception.
  • Despite being perceived as minor, everyday lies negatively affect social interaction quality, reducing pleasantness and intimacy.