STUDY: PEOPLE LIE ABOUT GOOD FORTUNE TO APPEAR HONEST

A recent study says some people actually prefer to lie because they fear the truth will hurt their reputation. The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, looks at several experiments which test how people handle situations where they gain a financial advantage over others. Researchers say some people chose to lie about their good fortune because telling the truth could make them appear selfish or dishonest. For example:
– In one experiment, 115 lawyers were told a case they worked on would take between 60 and 90 billable hours. Half of the lawyers were then told their case took 60 hours to complete. The other half were told they could bill the client for 90 hours of work. Eighteen percent of the lawyers who could have charged 90 hours lied and reported fewer hours of work. When asked why they chose to short-change themselves, lawyers admitted that they were worried the client would feel cheated. (On the other hand, researchers note that 17 percent of the 60-hour group inflated their hours so they could charge the client more.)
– In a different study, two groups of students were tested to see how they react to good fortune in a game of chance. The game awarded 15 cents for each correct dice roll or coin flip they predicted. One group received completely random outcomes, but the other students were given tests that manipulated the results so they would win every single time. When it came time to report their “perfect score,” 24 percent of the students said they won fewer games than they actually did.
* Nobody likes a braggart.
* This is the opposite of the humble-brag. It’s the humble-lie.
* On the other hand, what’s the point of bragging that you won a buck-fifty?
* How do I get me one of those good lyin’ lawyers?
* Speaking of lies, I made up this whole story. JUST KIDDING!