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"Oh what a tangled web we weave
When first we practice to deceive!"
Marmion, Sir Walter Scott
It turns out that Sir Walter was even more perceptive than he thought. New research shows that lying--especially when it benefits the liar--causes changes deep within the tangled web of the brain that make future (and bigger) lies easier and easier.
The Amygdala, twin almond-shaped nuclei deep within the brain--
important in memory, decision-making and emotional reactions.
Credit: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
important in memory, decision-making and emotional reactions.
Credit: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Researchers at University College London (UCL) scanned the brains of volunteers while they made estimates that could either be accurate or skewed to benefit themselves, themselves and a partner, or just their partner.
The first time that participants fudged their estimates to benefit themselves at their partner's expense, even just a little, their amygdalas lit up, indicating a strong negative emotional response. However, with each subsequent lie, the amygdala reacted less, and the lies got larger. Bigger and bigger lies elicited smaller and smaller emotional reactions--a classical "slippery slope."
"When we lie for personal gain, our amygdala produces a negative feeling that limits the extent to which we are prepared to lie," says Tali Sharot, principal investigator at UCL's Affective Brain Lab. "However this response fades as we continue to lie, and the more it falls the bigger our lies become."
Neil Garrett, the study's lead author, adds that this pattern may apply to other antisocial behaviors. "We only tested dishonesty in this experiment, but the same principle may apply to escalations in other actions such as risk-taking or violent behavior."
It would be interesting to see how the amygdalas of, for example, certain prominent politicians, react to telling lies. Or perhaps, as their noses get longer an longer, those deep brain centers simply shrivel up and disappear.
Your can find the original Nature Neuroscience article, "The brain adapts to dishonesty," here.
The first time that participants fudged their estimates to benefit themselves at their partner's expense, even just a little, their amygdalas lit up, indicating a strong negative emotional response. However, with each subsequent lie, the amygdala reacted less, and the lies got larger. Bigger and bigger lies elicited smaller and smaller emotional reactions--a classical "slippery slope."
"When we lie for personal gain, our amygdala produces a negative feeling that limits the extent to which we are prepared to lie," says Tali Sharot, principal investigator at UCL's Affective Brain Lab. "However this response fades as we continue to lie, and the more it falls the bigger our lies become."
Neil Garrett, the study's lead author, adds that this pattern may apply to other antisocial behaviors. "We only tested dishonesty in this experiment, but the same principle may apply to escalations in other actions such as risk-taking or violent behavior."
It would be interesting to see how the amygdalas of, for example, certain prominent politicians, react to telling lies. Or perhaps, as their noses get longer an longer, those deep brain centers simply shrivel up and disappear.
Pinocchios in a Florence shop window: Credit: Vladimir Menkov
Your can find the original Nature Neuroscience article, "The brain adapts to dishonesty," here.
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