Asking People to Pay Close Attention to the Lies They Tell

Some of the most interesting studies on deception involve having people take note of every interaction or conversation they have during a one to three week period of time.

These "daily journals" or "diary studies" are fascinating because they force people to focus on their behavior "in context" all day long (i.e., “Am I being truthful right now?”).

Overall, these studies show that deception is prevalent in everyday conversations, is easy to do, and is not difficult to justify (see, Camden, Motley and Wilson, DePaulo, Kashy, Kirkendol, Wyer, and Epstein, Turner, Edgley, and Olmstead).

Quite frankly, people are “surprised” by how often they actually deceive others when asked to pay close attention to their behavior. In fact, most people find themselves telling the same lies over and over again (see, Hample, Lippard, DePaulo, Kashy, Kirkendol, Wyer, and Epstein).

And with respect to romantic relationships, these studies show that deception is very common among romantic partners.