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Lying Is More Common When We Email
An anonymous reader writes "A new study by University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers finds that using computers for instant messaging and e-mail increases lying compared to face-to-face conversations, and that e-mail messages are most likely to contain lies. At its heart, the difference is about deindividualization, where as people grow psychologically and physically further from the person they're communicating with, the likelihood of lying goes up."
I always tell the truth when post in Slashdot. Especially when I check mark the anonymous coward option. Computers, IM, email etc encourage lying. bah! humbug.
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
Haven't we already learned this from such "discussion mediums" as the Slashdot comment section? Its easier to lie when you don't have to cover your body language, quivers in voice or other "give aways".
I was just getting out of bed after a 9 hour orgy with my harem. I showed them this story on my iPad 4 and they think it's all BS.
is it true, do people lie? Over email? To other people?
we need to look into this, it's going to ruin the economy, especially if these liars get into politics and big business!
You can't handle the truth.
When we need to lie, we pick up the phone. Emails are logged and archived.
I'm mostly kidding. I'm in IT. I do not need to lie. The sales staff on the other hand seems to make a living over promising things to clients.
Uncomfortable and inconvenient truths, more common by anonymous?
Some webpages promote anonymous posts, as they tend to get better discussions. Whistleblowers!
e-mail is normally attached to your name, so lying is better than telling the truth
article says they determine it by analysing conversations but it does not tell much. If it is the experimenter's chat logs then he has a bias and he could subconsciously lie more if that is his hypothesis. If it is other lying then how is it determined that they are lying? also, easier to know exact details of conversation if it is written (unless it is recorded word for word).
imho the study as it is presented does not say much... though there is nothing wrong with the hypothesis that people would lie more because it is tougher to come up with a lie live. That said, we all learn to lie very quickly... and most become quite good at it to a point it's not anymore really an issue to lie live for most.
Never antropomorphize computers, they do not like that
They did a study not long ago demonstrating that anonymity encourages anti-social behavior, which also wasn't surprising.
Besides, a large component of lying (in my 'based on nothing but my own experiences' opinion) seems to be the odds of getting caught in said lie. When you're talking to someone face to face, there's a lot of physical clues that aren't present in an email, thus encouraging a person to lie.
Christopher Walken said it best, though. I admit that may not have as much to do with the topic at hand, I just fucking love that scene...
All those emails about Global Warming... see?
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Either the research is flawed, or the people they studied are going to fail miserably in the "real world".
I find myself stretching the truth, or dodging accurate answers, when speaking in person far more often than I do in text. With text there is a document recorded for all time which can be referenced at any time. If it's not correct it's going to destroy you. If you say something untrue it's possible to wiggle out by claiming you were misunderstood or misheard.
Typically there is more time to build accurate and honest replies in text than there is in verbal communication. When you're speaking with someone they expect the reply RIGHT THEN, so you make some shit up to cover your ass. If you have more time you can formulate a true(er) response, or build truth prior to making your reply.
Spoken:
"Hey babe, did you take out the trash?"
"Uh, yep."
The hell you did. And now you have to get the trash out before she finds out.
Text:
"Hey babe, did you take out the trash?"
Take out the trash.
"Yep. At the curb."
No deceit. Just delay of truth due to available features of the means of communication.
No sig for you. YOU GET NO SIG!
I've found myself more open and honest in email, I think partly because I'm typing at the computer and not actually in the presence of the person - it's more like I'm talking to myself.
True that. Pizza soothes all. It probably even soothes the shame brought about by your tiny penis.
which is totally what she said
e-mail messages are most likely to contain lies
As in email messages have a greater than 50% chance of containing a lie, or email messages seem to have more lies than texting or face-to-face conversation?
I was taught in a communications course that over 90% of the "information" in a conversation is transmitted visually. We read each others' faces and body language.
My hobby is leading a rock band. I have noticed that people really don't hear as much of what we're doing as we think we are -- they are watching how we act on stage. This became apparent when we did a multi-band show one time and though the other bands were musically just as good as we were, we got a rousing ovation because my guitarist and I were jumping around on stage and cracking jokes. And the observations from the audience overwhelmingly confirmed -- it was how we behaved that sold our performance. We were good, we knew it, and we showed it.
So when you remove that element, that body language that will tell most people if you actually buy the bullshit you're selling, it frees you to sell far more bullshit.
Sociopaths and social manipulators don't even understand that what they're doing is wrong which is why one of the easiest ways to identify those folks is probably by their supernally smooth lying skills. Think about how charismatic TV preachers are, and think about how almost universally these folks turn out to be con-artists and frauds.
One day I feel I'm ahead of the wheel / the next it's rolling over me / I can get back on / I can get back on
Also, do not try this with the wife. "But honey, I have email proof!" only makes it worse.
I've seen that people lie to me more often via text msg more often than via emails. Email seems more like an official documentation than text to most people, I guess even though both are logged and documented.
Some were yelling one thing, some another. Most of them had no idea what was going on or why they were there. Acts19:32
That is a good point. I often use that technique not to deal with liars, but to CYA.
"Just to confirm, you told me that you understand everything I told you, but you don't want to deal with it right now and think it can wait until later. I'm okay with that. Just don't come crying to me when the systems are down because you didn't take me seriously."
All it takes is getting bit in the ass once to turn into an ass covering twit. I hate to be that guy, but I hate it even more to get caught holding the bag because someone above me decided that what I told them was important, really wasn't important.
In my experience, this does a good job of clearing up over-the-phone misunderstandings. But it does little to deter liars, who will ignore the email and simply claim later (if called out on their lie) that they hadn't read your call minutes, and this wasn't what they intended to say. "Those were your words, not mine."
Agreed with GP, a lie told by email is written record. A lie told by phone or in person can be refuted. Why would people prefer to leave a paper trail? Maybe it is just for fibs or other inconsequential lies.
Also I've had similar experience as GP with our sales force. Those guys will drop a lie like it's going out of style, any time they perceive it might work out in their favor. "I did XYZ yesterday on Customer ABC, but there's no record in the system of that today, and this caused me to miss my numbers." "No, in fact, not only did nobody even bring that customer record up, you weren't even signed into the system yesterday." I don't get how the level of dishonesty they demonstrate on a regular basis goes unpunished. I sincerely doubt I'd still have a job if I had the same standard of honesty.
Slay a dragon... over lunch!
I think the same of people who prefer to talk on the phone. Email keeps a trail of evidence. Email keeps people honest in business. Phones are for off-the-record communication, now.
When people call me in response to an email, I frequently think that they just don't know how to form coherent sentences and want to put the responsibility of communication fully on me instead of them explaining something on the record.
"Dr. John Doe, I apologize for the delay in getting your PC back out to you. I realize this is an urgent priority and I am working as fast as I can to fix it in a timely manner. At this time, I would continue to use your laptop computer to dictate so that you do not fall behind. The reason it is taking so long with this PC is your hard drive is actually defective. I had to remove the hard drive and copy off your data in parts, making sure I get it all. Your data and this PC are my number one priority and you will have it later this week. I thank you so much for your patience. Thanks, -Me" Lies? Yeah. It's not my top priority since he has another PC... and I am working on six other "high priority" PCs, each of which affect patient care. The bad hard drive? Yeah, not true... just a way to delay the process (Although it is a 40GB Maxtor drive may as well be bad). Nonetheless, he obtained a brand new Desktop a few days later and was very happy. So yeah, I lied but in the end all is well. (I made another post by accident as an Anonymous Coward. Sorry for duplicate).
"Instant gratification takes too long." - Carrie Fisher
Liers wil lie.
There're psychological triggers that inhibits liers from lie when facing the interlocutors. These triggers doesn't happens they use a computer.
Digital media does not favors lying. It simply does not inhibits it.
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