Researchers claim that people can afford to be more honest than they think
| Updated: Sep 24, 2018, 14:44 IST
How often do you question yourself on the basis of honesty? How often do you tell the 'half-truth' to avoid an awkward social situation or to keep the peace? Well, a new research from the University Of Chicago Booth School Of Business explored the consequences of honesty in everyday life and what they concluded will surprise you.
Researchers claim that people can often afford to be more honest than they think. Most people value the moral principle of honesty, however, at the same time, they lie often in their everyday lives. In the paper 'You Can Handle the Truth: Mispredicting the Consequences of Honest Communication', Chicago Booth Assistant Professor Emma Levine and Carnegie Mellon University's Taya Cohen find that people significantly overestimate the costs of honest conversations. "We're often reluctant to have completely honest conversations with others," said Levine. "We think offering critical feedback or opening up about our secrets will be uncomfortable for both us and the people with whom we are talking," Levine added.
The researchers claim that honest conversations are far more enjoyable for communicators than they expect them to be, and the listeners of honest conversations react less negatively than expected. Post conducting the research, the researchers defined honesty as "speaking in accordance with one's own beliefs, thoughts, and feelings." Post the research's findings, "Taken together, these findings suggest that individuals' avoidance of honesty may be a mistake," the researchers wrote. "By avoiding honesty, individuals miss out on opportunities that they appreciate in the long-run, and that they would want to repeat," they concluded.
Researchers claim that people can often afford to be more honest than they think. Most people value the moral principle of honesty, however, at the same time, they lie often in their everyday lives. In the paper 'You Can Handle the Truth: Mispredicting the Consequences of Honest Communication', Chicago Booth Assistant Professor Emma Levine and Carnegie Mellon University's Taya Cohen find that people significantly overestimate the costs of honest conversations. "We're often reluctant to have completely honest conversations with others," said Levine. "We think offering critical feedback or opening up about our secrets will be uncomfortable for both us and the people with whom we are talking," Levine added.
The researchers claim that honest conversations are far more enjoyable for communicators than they expect them to be, and the listeners of honest conversations react less negatively than expected. Post conducting the research, the researchers defined honesty as "speaking in accordance with one's own beliefs, thoughts, and feelings." Post the research's findings, "Taken together, these findings suggest that individuals' avoidance of honesty may be a mistake," the researchers wrote. "By avoiding honesty, individuals miss out on opportunities that they appreciate in the long-run, and that they would want to repeat," they concluded.