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The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone--Especially Ourselves by [Dan Ariely]

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Dan Ariely

The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone--Especially Ourselves Kindle Edition

by Dan Ariely (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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The New York Times bestselling author of Predictably Irrational and The Upside of Irrationality returns with thought-provoking work to challenge our preconceptions about dishonesty and urge us to take an honest look at ourselves.

Does the chance of getting caught affect how likely we are to cheat?
How do companies pave the way for dishonesty?
Does collaboration make us more honest or less so?
Does religion improve our honesty?

Generally, we assume that cheating, like most other decisions, is based on a rational cost-benefit analysis. But Ariely argues, and then demonstrates, that it's actually the irrational forces that we don't take into account that often determine whether we behave ethically or not. For every Enron or political bribe, there are countless puffed résumés, hidden commissions, and knockoff purses. In The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty, Ariely shows why some things are easier to lie about; how getting caught matters less than we think; and how business practices pave the way for unethical behavior, both intentionally and unintentionally. Ariely explores how unethical behavior works in the personal, professional, and political worlds, and how it affects all of us, even as we think of ourselves as having high moral standards.

But all is not lost. Ariely also identifies what keeps us honest, pointing the way for achieving higher ethics in our everyday lives. With compelling personal and academic findings, The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty will change the way we see ourselves, our actions, and others.

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339 pages
Language

English
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Harper
Publication date

June 18, 2013
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4754 KB
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Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The New York Times bestselling author of Predictably Irrational and The Upside of Irrationality returns with a thought-provoking work that challenges our preconceptions about dishonesty and urges us to take an honest look at ourselves.

Does the chance of getting caught affect how likely we are to cheat?
How do companies pave the way for dishonesty?
Does collaboration make us more or less honest?
Does religion improve our honesty?

Most of us think of ourselves as honest, but, in fact, we all cheat. From Washington to Wall Street, the classroom to the workplace, unethical behavior is everywhere. None of us is immune, whether it's a white lie to head off trouble or padding our expense reports. In The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty, award-winning, bestselling author Dan Ariely shows why some things are easier to lie about than others; how getting caught matters less than we think in whether we cheat; and how business practices pave the way for unethical behavior, both intentionally and unintentionally. Ariely explores how unethical behavior works in the personal, professional, and political worlds, and how it affects all of us, even as we think of ourselves as having high moral standards. But all is not lost. Ariely also identifies what keeps us honest, pointing the way for achieving higher ethics in our everyday lives.

With compelling personal and academic findings, The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty will change the way we see ourselves, our actions, and others.

--David Brooks, the New York Times --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

“Ariely raises the bar for everyone. In the increasingly crowded field of popular cognitive science and behavioral economics, he writes with an unusual combination of verve and sagacity.” (Washington Post)

“I thought [Ariely’s] book was an outstanding encapsulation of the good hearted and easygoing moral climate of the age.” (David Brooks, the New York Times)

“The best-selling author’s creativity is evident throughout. . . . A lively tour through the impulses that cause many of us to cheat, the book offers especially keen insights into the ways in which we cut corners while still thinking of ourselves as moral people.” (Time.com)

“Captivating and astute. . . . In his characteristic spry, cheerful style, Ariely delves deep into the conundrum of human (dis)honesty in the hopes of discovering ways to help us control our behavior and improve our outcomes.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Dan Ariely ingeniously and delightfully teases out how people balance truthfulness with cheating to create a reality out of wishful-blindness reality. You’ll develop a deeper understanding of your own personal ethics—and those of everybody you know.” (Mehmet Oz, MD; Vice-Chair and Professor of Surgery at Columbia University and host of The Dr. Oz Show)

“Anyone who lies should read this book. And those who claim not to tell lies are liars. So they sould read this book too. This is a fascinating, learned, and funny book that will make you a better person.” (A.J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically and Drop Dead Healthy)

“I was shocked at how prevalent mild cheating was and how much more harmful it can be, cumulatively, compared to outright fraud. This is Dan Ariely’s most interesting and most useful book.” (Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The Black Swan)

“Through a remarkable series of experiments, Ariely presents a convincing case. . . . Required reading for politicians and Wall Street executives.” (Booklist) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Does the chance of getting caught affect how likely we are to cheat?
How do companies pave the way for dishonesty?
Does collaboration make us more honest or less so?
Does religion improve our honesty?

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Dan Ariely is the bestselling author of Predictably Irrational, The Upside of Irrationality, and The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty. He is the James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at Duke University and is the founder of the Center for Advanced Hindsight. His work has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and elsewhere. He lives in North Carolina with his family.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

ASIN : B00CD36FF6
Publisher : Harper; Illustrated edition (June 18, 2013)
Publication date : June 18, 2013
Language : English
File size : 4754 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 339 pages
Lending : Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #119,756 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #247 in Social Psychology & Interactions
- #633 in Education & Reference (Kindle Store)
- #688 in Parenting & Relationships (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
710 ratings

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2 star		1%
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Top reviews from the United States

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Mr. Roger H. Geyer

Very good overall. Fun to read. A bit too casual with some data and assumptions, with dentistry as one example.

Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2017

Verified Purchase

This was fascinating. As one who thinks of himself as "totally honest" aside from the occasional white lie to spare someone's feelings (i.e. appearance issues), I was really surprised by this.

The author relates how various behavioral economics experiments show how dishonest the vast majority of us are -- and the likely reasons. And how many of us are deluding ourselves when we believe we're always "perfectly" honest. For example -- how deeply the perception of fairness affects all of us (for example, how hard we're willing to work depending on our perception of our treatment compared to our peers or compared to promises made, by our employer).

The material is presented in a systematic way, with good coverage (at a layman's level) of a surprising (to me as a layman) variety of topics.

For those interested in the intersection of psychology and economics, especially through the lens of honesty, this was both a very enlightening and entertaining read.

It's not perfect. Ariely should be a bit careful about flinging around accusations. For example, he stated/implied that many dentists are shafting their patients for material gain (more work in the future) by using modern plastics and other substances to repair teeth, instead of old fashioned metal (amalgam) fillings.

Well, I discussed this with my dentist briefly (after he again displayed his honesty by telling me the "crack" I saw was NOT a problem and no, I did NOT need an expensive crown -- that something (tea in my case) had merely stained and accentuated the line between a filling and my tooth. I told him about this accusation and how it bothered me since it was done so casually and with so little detail, and painting the entire industry as crooked. My dentist explained how there is lots of data on this, and the issue is generally with low cost dental-maintenance programs. (This makes sense -- when you try to save money, you generally sacrifice quality. You don't get something for nothing, no matter how much marketers may promise it).

So I don't know how many other times Mr. Ariely might have misstated something like this, for areas I have less experience and reason to question the data in. (I'm NOT saying he did this deliberately -- I'm saying before you accuse an industry of cheating -- be a lot more careful to do it accurately, and include the necessary caveats. Saying some DMA programs likely do X to make more money is a LOT different than saying this is common practice in the dental industry generally. Also, his statement that all other materials are less durable than metal is somewhere between highly questionable and objectively false (to me as a layman).

27 people found this helpful

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Edward G. Rozycki

Interesting book. However, it muddles ethical issues: ...

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2018

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Interesting book. However, it muddles ethical issues: not every transmission of counter-factual material constitutes a moral affront. Indeed, it is sometimes hard to discern what moral basis Ariely invokes for his judgments. Also, Ariely presumes the "cross-cultural" validity of his matrix test claimsing that it is "outside any cultural context." I think his thinking rests on an overly narrow concept of culture. Surely the docile testing-behavior, the truth-telling presumption and the prior knowledge preparation of the matrix-test-takers ought not be assumed to be "outside any cultural context."

But, still, it is a book worth reading despite delivering less than it appears to promise.

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

A Smart, Highly-Readable, and Perceptive Book About Why We Cheat and Rationalize It as OK

Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2020

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You wouldn't cheat. I wouldn't cheat. Never! Oh wait, maybe we do. Just a little. And there is always a good reason, right? And remember, it really is just a tiny little bit.

This fascinating and highly readable book by Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University, is a deep dive into why we humans pride ourselves on being absolutely honest but also are liable to cheat—just a little—when the opportunity presents itself. Ariely and his many colleagues from several leading universities conducted numerous social psychology studies with both college students and random adults to assess under which circumstances people are more likely to cheat or not, especially if there is a bit of financial gain in it. The results are intriguing!

Find out:
• the effect religion has on curbing cheating even among non-believers;

• how corporations cheat and even encourage their employees to cheat;

• why we cheat less when we're monitored but cheat more if it will benefit someone else, too;

• how "the fudge factor" allows us to rationalize our cheating;

• the alarming effect conflicts of interest, including small favors given to us, have on our honesty;

• why creative people are more likely to cheat than others;

• the No. 1 way cheating can be made socially acceptable;

• effective ways to help prevent cheating.

Even though this is a book based on academic research, it is not a dry, abstract treatise. Written in easily-understood language, this is a smart and perceptive book that teaches us about basic human behavior.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Marcelo L

Insightful and counter-intuitive but somewhat disappointing if you have read Dan Ariely's two other books

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 9, 2013

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If this is the first book you read by Dan Ariely, you will probably find it well written, entertaining, full of insights and counter-intuitive facts about cheating. This is a book based on insights obtained from experimentation centered around a specific subject: cheating.

From that perspective this book is an excellent read for those that want to understand cheating and lying, importantly even lying to ourselves. The author arguments wery well how the traditional economists' model of looking for self interest does not work for lying or cheating. He shows very convincingly that we all cheat by a little bit, while trying to keep a good self-image of ourselves. More interestingtly, he explores, through experimentation, what factors influence cheating, some reducing it, others increasing it. In short, if you have not read any book from Dan Ariely yet and you are interested in the subject of cheating and lying, this is a very nice book.

Now, I have read Dan Ariely's two previous books and I was slightly disappointed for a couple of reasons. First there is a significant amount of material that was already covered in previous books. Second, compared to the other two, this book feels rather "light". Knowing the other two books I expected more content.

I would give it 3.5 stars, but because I had to choose between 3 and 4, I give it 4, thinking especially about those who have not yet read any book from this author.

11 people found this helpful

AceLondon

Very thought provoking, made me rethink my moral stand point on a number of issues

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2012

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I first heard about this book through a friend. I picked it up in a local bookshop during a lunch hour and raced through the first 30 or so pages enjoying the clear moral questions that the book brings.

The author describes the results of thousands of experiments that he has conducted to show in what situations we are likely to cheat or lie and by how much. For example are we more or less likely to lie about how we did in a test if we know we cannot be caught? Or if there is monetary reward on offer? Or if we work in a group with complete strangers? The experiments are clearly explained and easy to follow. The results do seem predictable, but perhaps that is only in hindsight having read the explanation.

They raise some very interesting questions and real life applications, and the author seems to enjoy relating these to business situations. It really does make you consider your real life interactions and the behaviour of yourself and others, for example when your dentist tells you that you need an expensive filling, in what situation would he be exaggerating about the benefits it would bring to you? If you were seeing him for the first time, or if you had a long standing relationship?

I have to admit that I do have my reservations about social science experiments. I feel they can be set up in a way to fit whatever the person conducting the experiment wants to show. (Is this being dishonest!??) My other criticism of the book is that it does become a little repetitive and most of my enjoyment came from reading those first 30 pages in the book shop.

All in all an interesting read and I may well pick up Dan Ariely's earlier books that seem to have very favourable reviews.

3 people found this helpful

Fun and Games

Only 1% of people are honest!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 20, 2013

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1% are dishonest, and 98% of us will get away with what we think we can.

Ariely is a highly entertaining academic looking what makes us tick and how our honesty/dishonesty can affect how we behave and interact, and more importantly how we shape and manage our systems and environments to counter act human frailty/weakness.

If you have any interest in behavioral economics or human psychology this is definitely worth a read.

3 people found this helpful

Max P

A university lecture acting as a book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 29, 2019

Verified Purchase

It is written like it is straight from one of my university lectures too. Disappointed.
Further this book is about the models and rationale of cheating (not lying) .

anonymous

Ye Gods..are we all really this bad ?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 23, 2016

Verified Purchase

The title says it all. Great research into the realities of our illusions of our own virtue.
Valuable to open your eyes to the cold objective realities of the trustworthiness or otherwise of yourself and other people, and the strange and surprising, counterintuitive factors that influence it.

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