Its part of what we do as members of society, Professor Feldman said. We tell people that were feeling well when were not feeling so well.
Another common example of lying, he said, is saying that you liked a gift you didnt like.
Society operates on lies in many ways, Professor Feldman said. Most of these lies are probably fairly trivial in the grand scheme of things, but they are lies.
Professor Feldman said that he believed the number of lies people tell had gone up during the pandemic and that there were incentives to being dishonest.
Its important, during the course of this pandemic, to be honest, stay at home and to wear a mask, to do social distancing, he said. But I also think there are a lot of subtle pressures that push people to not be totally truthful.
When people do lie, he said, they sometimes gives themselves excuses that its OK because theyre just trying to cope with the pandemic.
Dr. Castro said people might be more inclined to lie about their health because its such a personal matter.
People ask for honesty about their health to protect others, and that becomes very difficult because there is a moral element of that, he said.read more
Are You Lying More in the Pandemic? Some Certainly Are
