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Neuroimaging suggests that truthfulness requires no act of will for honest people
Harvard University ^ | July 13th, 2009 | Unknown

Posted on 07/14/2009 7:30:59 AM PDT by decimon

A new study of the cognitive processes involved with honesty suggests that truthfulness depends more on absence of temptation than active resistance to temptation.

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"Being honest is not so much a matter of exercising willpower as it is being disposed to behave honestly in a more effortless kind of way," says Greene. "This may not be true for all situations, but it seems to be true for at least this situation."

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(Excerpt) Read more at physorg.com ...


TOPICS: Science; Society
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Lie me a river, lie me a river
I lied a river over you
1 posted on 07/14/2009 7:30:59 AM PDT by decimon
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To: decimon

What they seem to miss is that the reason the subjects are disposed to being honest, is that they settled the “will” issue long ago.

An honest person doesn’t struggle with it, because they’ve long since decided that honesty is the best policy.

A dishonest person hasn’t reached that state yet, so they struggle with options.


2 posted on 07/14/2009 7:36:15 AM PDT by DannyTN
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To: DannyTN
A dishonest person hasn’t reached that state yet, so they struggle with options.

Meanwhile politicians only struggle is about which lie they will tell.

3 posted on 07/14/2009 7:38:20 AM PDT by KarlInOhio (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG, Chrysler and GM are what Marx meant by the means of production.)
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To: DannyTN
They might find similar results in dishonest people.

Say for example: A president that has already decided against the merits of showing his birth certificate to prove his elligibility, doesn't have to think about it in subsequent decisions. He simply knows to automatically send lawyers to try to shut down a lawsuit instead of sending his proof of elligibility.

4 posted on 07/14/2009 7:39:30 AM PDT by DannyTN
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To: DannyTN
They might find similar results in dishonest people.

Say for example: A president that has already decided against the merits of showing his birth certificate to prove his elligibility, doesn't have to think about it in subsequent decisions. He simply knows to automatically send lawyers to try to shut down a lawsuit instead of sending his proof of elligibility.

5 posted on 07/14/2009 7:39:30 AM PDT by DannyTN
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To: KarlInOhio

LOL, yep, see post 4


6 posted on 07/14/2009 7:40:54 AM PDT by DannyTN
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To: DannyTN

If honesty is the best policy it would seem by process of elimination dishonesty is the second best policy.


7 posted on 07/14/2009 7:43:11 AM PDT by Mr. Blonde (You ever thought about being weird for a living?)
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To: DannyTN
An honest person doesn’t struggle with it, because they’ve long since decided that honesty is the best policy.

I much agree. But the old saying, "You can't be honest with a dishonest man.", holds true.

Ever work customer service? Odds are you can't trust either your bosses or your customers.

8 posted on 07/14/2009 7:43:43 AM PDT by decimon
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To: decimon

Give me a break! Honest people are comfortable with the truth because they don’t have to fumble for the most consistent lie and they’ve made it a life habit. You will likely find the same on the opposite side of the spectrum... dishonest people are comfortable with lying.


9 posted on 07/14/2009 7:43:43 AM PDT by pgyanke (You have no "rights" that require an involuntary burden on another person. Period. - MrB)
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To: decimon

Like we need another lecture from Harvard....


10 posted on 07/14/2009 7:44:01 AM PDT by browniexyz
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To: decimon

Lie? Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.
11 posted on 07/14/2009 7:45:07 AM PDT by dblshot
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To: browniexyz
Like we need another lecture from Harvard....

Summers time and the lying is easy...

12 posted on 07/14/2009 7:47:58 AM PDT by decimon
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To: decimon
"I can resist anything but temptation."

Oscar Wilde

13 posted on 07/14/2009 7:51:45 AM PDT by ihatemyalarmclock (')
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To: Mr. Blonde
"If honesty is the best policy it would seem by process of elimination dishonesty is the second best policy."

True, but the second best policy may well be deemed an unacceptable policy.

There may be other policy options, such as refusing to provide information. Honesty "Doesn't require that you share everything with everybody." It's not dishonest to say, "I'm not going to answer that."

14 posted on 07/14/2009 7:57:59 AM PDT by DannyTN
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To: decimon

My father was one of the most noble human beings I have ever known. He was a man of the most sterling integrity, profoundly honorable and honest, a heroic patriot in his military career and self-sacrificing in his personal life. I never knew him to tell a lie.

Yet he told me that the reason he was so honest is that in every single exchange he had he was tempted to lie, to take the easy way out. He had to constantly guard his tongue and monitor his words so he would say what was accurate, rather than embroidered, exaggerated, evasive, or completely untrue. For his whole life.

The result was that he was unfailingly honest, to the very penny, in all of his public and private dealings and in all his speech. Yet by the standard of these researchers, he was not honest because it wasn’t easy or natural.


15 posted on 07/14/2009 8:02:47 AM PDT by ottbmare (Ein Reich, ein Volk, ein Obama!)
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To: decimon
Harvard University

Aren't these the same people who thought abortion could be done up until the child was a year old? In short - murder?

Harvard does the best "justification" work for liberal beliefs of any University. Bet they didn't say anything negative about the Duke University gay man who tried to sell his black adopted son for white men to rape. Nope. Crickets.

16 posted on 07/14/2009 8:06:14 AM PDT by GOPJ (Still waiting for journalists to ask Obama how he'll heal a deeply divided nation-FreeperOldDeckHand)
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To: ottbmare
The result was that he was unfailingly honest, to the very penny, in all of his public and private dealings and in all his speech. Yet by the standard of these researchers, he was not honest because it wasn’t easy or natural.

My take is that you are what you do. Seems to me that your father was an honest man.

When I would see Dubya answering questions it would seem to me that he was measuring his words so to avoid lying. I thought him often evasive so to avoid lying. If I'm right then was he being honest or not?

17 posted on 07/14/2009 8:13:13 AM PDT by decimon
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To: GOPJ
Aren't these the same people who thought abortion could be done up until the child was a year old? In short - murder?

Harvard does the best "justification" work for liberal beliefs of any University. Bet they didn't say anything negative about the Duke University gay man who tried to sell his black adopted son for white men to rape. Nope. Crickets.

There's no they there. To attribute to these people all that to you is 'Harvard' is the same as attributing to you all that is 'Free Republic.'

18 posted on 07/14/2009 8:16:28 AM PDT by decimon
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To: ottbmare
Yet he told me that the reason he was so honest is that in every single exchange he had he was tempted to lie, to take the easy way out. He had to constantly guard his tongue and monitor his words so he would say what was accurate, rather than embroidered, exaggerated, evasive, or completely untrue. For his whole life.

I believe that lying is done out of weakness. People do it mostly because they are trying to avoid consequences. I don't lie not only because I believe in honesty, but also because I refuse to allow myself to be weak (although I have my moments of weakness in other ways).
19 posted on 07/14/2009 8:36:02 AM PDT by fr_freak
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To: decimon; AdmSmith; Berosus; bigheadfred; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; ...
Image and video hosting by TinyPic "I can't think of any response right now. Where's my teleprompter?"

20 posted on 07/14/2009 9:06:44 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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