A small lie often leads to a bigger one. This phenomenon would have a biological explanation, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Nature. Indeed, lying would disinhibit the brain which would feel freer to continue to hide the truth.
“Whether it’s tax evasion, infidelity, sports doping, or financial fraud, small acts of dishonesty often snowball over time,” says Tali Sharot, lead author of the study. “We speculated that there might be a basic biological principle of how our brain works that contributes to this phenomenon, called emotional adaptation,” said study co-author Dr Tali Sharot.
The lie attracts the lie
Researchers from the University College of London in the United Kingdom recruited 80 adults to analyze their brains in situations where they had the leisure and the interest to lie. Scientists have observed that lying causes significant stimulation of the amygdala (a part of the brain related to emotions). But over the course of the study, the more the participants hid the truth, the less this area of the brain was activated. As if the lie provoked a form of habit.
“When we lie for personal gain, our amygdala produces a negative feeling that limits the extent of our lying,” says study co-author Dr. Tali Sharot. “However, this amygdala response diminishes as we continue to lie, and the more it shrinks, the bigger our lies grow. This can lead to a ‘slippery slope’ where small dishonesties escalate into big lies.”
“This mechanism may well imply other kinds of escalations, such as escalations in risk-taking or violent behaviors,” said lead author Dr. Neil Garrett, adding that these findings “highlight the potential dangers of engaging in small acts of dishonesty on a regular basis.”
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