The tendency to lie is part of our personality. But are personality traits the only factors that make some people lie more often than others? Polish researchers conducted a study which proves that personality and intelligence play no small part. The results of the experiment suggest that extroverts with higher levels of intelligence are more likely to tell untruths in order to achieve a certain goal.
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In everyday social life, frequent lying, manipulation and exploitation are perceived negatively and are generally condemned by society. Deception can lead to considerable damage - legal, social or personal. But not all lies are used to do evil. So-called white lies can have a beneficial effect on others. What factors influence how often people lie and manipulate others?
The use of lies is a result of our personality
The propensity to lie is embedded in our personalities. Research shows that different combinations of personality traits can increase or decrease this likelihood, depending. People with high antisocial personality traits - narcissistic people lie for their own benefit, whereas psychopathy is associated with telling untruths without reason.
The experiment suggests that during social interactions, people with a temperament that fits the extroversion template tell more lies. The researchers showed that people high in manipulation and lack of moral commitment are less likely to refrain from telling untruths, especially when their reputation is at stake. These results confirm that personality traits affect the likelihood of lying depending on the context and the benefits of doing so.
A key role, in addition to personality traits, generating lies is also intelligence and developed cognitive abilities. We are talking about the information processing processes taking place in the nervous system - memory or the ability to focus attention. Previous results have shown that people with higher levels of intelligence found it easier to falsify tests in such a way as to increase the likelihood of getting a job.
Lying under the magnifying glass
The Polish researchers decided to conduct a joint study to show a correlation between the frequency of telling untruths and character traits linked to intelligence and cognitive brain function. They conducted three separate studies in which participants decided whether they would lie or tell the truth.
The total number of participants in all 3 studies was 154. However, complete data were only available for 102 participants because analytical methods requiring complete data were required as a condition of participant inclusion in the experiment. The authors investigated the character traits, beliefs of the participants, and brain function was observed using magnetic resonance imaging.
The SDT method
The authors used the idea of Speed-Dating Task (SDT), or speed dating. Subjects were asked to answer 'yes'/'no' to sets of questions posed by characters created for the experiment.
So what did they have to do? Their answers were designed to encourage as many of the characters as possible. Importantly, the questions were constructed in a way that explicitly suggested what the other party wanted to hear. The respondents did not know the true purpose of the experiment, so they were free to manipulate their answers, lie or tell the truth.
The results of the experiment showed that extroverts with a high IQ have a high tendency to tell untruths. According to one of the study's authors, Professor Edward Nęcka, it is not the level of extroversion alone that influences lying, but the association of extroversion together with high intelligence. Introverts and extroverts with lower IQ levels lied less.
- While this study provides new insights into the role of cognitive ability in choosing to be dishonest, there are several limitations to consider, say the study authors.
