Why We Lie
We like to believe that a few bad apples spoil the virtuous bunch. But research shows that everyone cheats a little—right up to the point where they lose their sense of integrity.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304840904577422090013997320.html
This is a really interesting article, I urge all my reader(s) to take a few minutes and read it. The upshot is that cheating is contagious, that most everyone does it a little, but interestingly, most people _don’t_ do it if immediately prior to an opportunity to cheat they are reminded not to.
Very interesting results and based on the descriptions, the experiments are very well thought out. Not terribly flattering report on human nature, though, and I expect most people will read it saying to themselves that it doesn’t apply to them. Personally, I rarely lie. I discovered long ago that the more you lie the less value each lie has until lying becomes so part of your personality such that no one will ever believe you when you speak the truth. I also find that keeping track of the various lies is tedious and it is much easier to tell the truth. That isn’t to say that I don’t ‘shade’ the truth, ‘truth’, after all, is malleable and depends on viewpoint and context.
For the most part I never cheated on school exams, I was more interested in learning how much I knew rather than getting the best grade (I have never attached as much value to grades as the rest of society seems to). There have been a few cases, though, where I felt a test was idiotic and cheated so I wouldn’t have to take it again. I also fairly routinely ‘cheat’ by exceeding the speed limit and have been known to run a few red lights (almost exclusively when the intersection is totally empty and the idiot light is taking its sweet time to change (I really resent having a colored piece of glass making decisions in my life)).
I also don’t seem to be able to be much of a con artist. Despite being a misanthropist and rather detesting the human species in general, I can’t seem to bring myself to take advantage of the sheeple. If I could, I am sure I could compete with old Bernie Madoff for biggest crook. In my youth I was involved in various criminal activities, but more along the lines of the Stainless Steel Rat where I focused on insured businesses rather than individuals. I have no doubt that if my circle of friends had been a wee bit more criminal I would have settled into a life of crime without a second’s thought. Sometimes I think wistfully about what might have been, but over time I decided that I could accomplish more of my goals if I could be successful legitimately (though I haven’t been having a lot of luck with that!). Clearly there is a spectrum of amorality and I clearly fall in one zone. Probably because I had loving parents and a wholesome upbringing I didn’t continue the whole route down the road to becoming a sociopath, but I certainly can see echos of myself when I watch these shows on criminals and their psychology. I am reminded of this line in the (relatively) new series Sherlock (there is a lot to like, though I could spend a day complaining about little things):
“I’m not a psychopath, I’m a high-functioning sociopath; do your research.”
I suspect I am somewhat in alignment with that, though I do have empathy and feel other people’s pain (I hate watching tear jerker movies because I hate to have my tears jerked, not because I don’t understand). I can see the potential, though, that had I had a miserable life growing up (like so many psychopathic criminals tend to have) I might have easily gone another route or developed thick emotional calluses.
Anyway, enough about me, go read the article!
