Watch CBS News

Study: Lying Gets Easier The More It's Done

WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The more we lie -- the easier it gets.

A new study finds that when we tell little fibs, it leads down a slippery slope to bigger lies. And our brains adapt to the escalating dishonesty, which makes lying easier.

As CBS2's Emily Smith explained, they say 'the truth hurts' so sometimes people lie, even to reporters.

"Little white lies are often to protect someone or help someone out," one New Yorker said.

Neuroscientists at the University College in London put 80 people into scenarios in which they could repeatedly lie. And the bigger their lie, the more they'd get paid.

Web Extra: Read The Study (.pdf) 

The researchers say they were the first to demonstrate that people's lies grow bolder the more they fib.

According to a study published online in the journal Nature Neuroscience, they used brain scans to show that our brain's emotional hot spot becomes desensitized, or accustomed to the growing dishonesty.

"The results show the possible dangers of regular engagement in small acts of dishonesty, perils that are frequently observed in domains ranging from business to politics and law enforcement," the authors of the study wrote. "These insights may have implications for policy makers in designing deterrents to halt deceit. Despite being small at the outset, engagement in dishonest acts may trigger a process that leads to larger acts of dishonesty further down the line."

Dr. N.G. Berrill, a forensic behavioral scientist, said the brain actually becomes non-reactive to lying.

"After a while it becomes less uncomfortable, less toxic, and upsetting, and there's less of a physiologic and psychological response to it," Berrill said.

Berrill said brain scans can be misleading, but the study strongly suggests that lying creates a slippery slope.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.