Honesty is one of the essential virtues of being a human being. Being honest with each other can establish good communication, while lying has negative consequences. We all know that lies will eventually see the light of day. A scientific study on “honesty” found that telling the truth over a long period of time had a surprisingly positive change on the health of those who took this path.
Anita Kelly, a professor of psychology at the University of Notre Dame in the United States, led a study in 2012 called the “Science of Honesty.” Seventy-two healthy adults were randomly assigned to two groups: a Sincerity group and a Control group. Both groups went to the lab each week for five weeks to complete polygraph tests and health measures.
The 36 subjects in the Control group were given no instructions or goals to accomplish, but were told that they would be doing an unspecified task for the next five weeks.
The task for the subjects of the Sincerity group was not so easy. The researchers gave them quite specific rules: “Throughout every day over the next five weeks, you must speak honestly, truthfully, and sincerely — not only about the big things, but also about the small things, such as why you were late.
You must always mean what you say in situations where your statements are to be taken seriously, as opposed to when joking or obviously exaggerating. While you can choose not to answer questions, you must always mean what you say.”
During the length of the study, members of the Sincerity group and Control group had to return to the lab regularly for polygraph and physical exams. The researchers kept detailed records of what was happening.
Honesty led the Sincerity group to develop better health
Professor Kelly said the results were amazing. The health of the 36 people in the Sincerity group changed significantly after the experiment. Many symptoms initially detected were improving. The members of the Control group did not experience positive changes. Instead of developing good health, some people’s symptoms even worsened. After the five-week experiment, the Sincerity group had much less detectable illnesses than the Control group, such as headaches, vomiting, and sore throats. Complaints, nervousness, and other psychological states had also been greatly reduced. Since the only difference between the two groups was the Sincerity rules, it was concluded that these rules caused the good health benefit.
Later, Professor Kelly started the same experiment for herself and got the same results. She shared her own experience: “Since the fall, I too have been following these instructions. Normally, I get eight hours of sleep and have five-to-seven colds in the winter. Now, even with only three hours of sleep, I have been sick zero times since the fall.”
From this “Honesty” study by Professor Kelly, we know that honesty is not only a standard for measuring a person’s morality, but also can bring positive changes to people’s physical health. But, of course, it’s up to you whether you want to experience the benefits or not.
Translated by Patty Zhang
