Lies and Self-Deception

Most of us believe that we live by the truth and that we’re completely sincere in most of our words and actions. If someone were to ask you, you’d probably say you never get involved in lies and deception. But whether we admit to it or not, we all need to convince ourselves from time to time that what we think of as true is really true, whether it is or not. We all have what psychologists refer to as a confirmation bias. Mostly, it's about lies that are focused on ourselves. What we’re talking about is self-deception. This is a process in which we stop seeing, or taking into consideration, aspects of reality that contradict our beliefs or that make us uncomfortable.

Quattrone and Tversky’s conducted an experiment in 1984 that showed we often deceive ourselves. We don’t do it with bad intentions, or out of disrespect for the truth; it’s simply a mechanism that helps us avoid facing painful or uncomfortable aspects of reality. In their classic experiment, it became clear that people have a strong tendency to tell lies to each other and believe them. We change or suppress information, sometimes consciously, sometimes not, to avoid internal conflicts and problems.

Using 38 volunteers, the researchers told them that they were carrying out research on “the medical and psychological aspects of athletics”. Although it wasn’t true, it was necessary for them to believe that it was. Then, the researchers asked them to immerse their arms in cold water. They were told that their level of resistance to the cold water was a very important indicator of their overall health, which wasn’t true either. They were asked to do other kinds of tasks as well. These included riding bikes and similar activities, mostly intended to be distractions.

At the end of all this, they talked to the volunteers about “life expectancy“. In the talk, the researchers told them that there are two kinds of hearts. Type I was more resistant and, therefore, less vulnerable to developing heart disease over time. Type II, on the other hand, was a weak heart that was prone to disease. After this first phase, Quattrone and Tversky’s experiment took a twist. The group of volunteers split into two. Separately, the researchers told group one that the arms immersed in cold water were an indicator of whether each of them had a type I or type II heart. They added that those who had a type I heart, that is, the strong and resilient one, would be able to immerse their arms in the cold water for longer. They told the other group the opposite – that those who had strong hearts would last less time with their arms immersed in the cold water.

After this, all the volunteers were asked to put their arms again in cold water so that they could evaluate them again. The results were curious. The members of the first group kept their arms under cold water for a lot longer than when they first did the experiment. With the other group, the opposite happened.

Overall, the difference in the time they each held their arms in the cold water varied by an average of 10 seconds. Those who had initially held out for 35 seconds now held out for 45 seconds if they were in group one. And those who had held out for 35 seconds were now holding out for 25 seconds if they were in group two. What could the researchers conclude from this?

In order to make their final conclusions, the researchers asked all participants one question. They asked them whether the information about the two types of hearts had made them endure more or less with their arms in the cold water, in order to prove that they had a strong heart. Of the 38 volunteers, 29 denied it. They were then asked if they believed they had a healthy heart. Sixty percent of those who had denied that they had been influenced by the heart information said yes. According to the researchers, the results proved that we have a strong tendency toward self-delusion. Some suppress true information completely, just to prove to themselves (and others) that they’re right. By doing so, they avoid situations that may be unduly uncomfortable or worrying.