even quite the opposite, assures researchers from the University of Notre Dame. Stopping lying for a while improves your physical and mental health, shows their study presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association.
Anita Kelly and Lijuan Wang, the two co-authors, conducted the survey with a panel of 110 people. 35% of the participants are local while the remaining 65% study at university. All are between 18 and 71 years old, and the average age is 31 years old.
The panel was divided into two groups: the first was asked to stop lying, big or small, for the ten weeks of the experiment. They had the right all the same to evade the questions, to keep the secrets for themselves, and to omit to tell the truth.
The other group served as a control group and received no special instructions. On the other hand, like the first group, he noted the number and the nature of the lies told each week.
At the end of each week, the volunteers were polygraphed and filled out questionnaires assessing their mental well-being and physical as well as the quality of their relationship. At the beginning of the experiment, on average we counted 11 lies per week.
Result after 10 weeks, the “no lie” group (first group) saw their mental and physical well-being improve more significantly than the control group. They reported, for example, that they complained less (of being sad or stressed) and that they suffered fewer headaches or other minor health problems (sore throat, etc.). The control group did not see such a significant improvement.
Both groups reduced their number of untruths over time. But the “no lie” group went from 11 to one lie per week compared to 11 to 3 lies for the 2and band. “This proves that we can voluntarily and drastically reduce our daily lies and improve our health in return”, assures Anita Kelly.
This study could be useful to all the unrepentant liars who cannot help saying canards. How to recognize them in your surroundings? Decode their gestures (head movements, gaze speed, posture, position of the feet) and analyze their general behavior.
