You know the awful feeling that someone is lying to you? Here's how to stop falsehoods in their tracks, according to science.
In a 2012 experiment, Prof. Jeffrey Hancock of Cornell University found that people acknowledged lying in about 14 percent of their emails, 21 percent of their instant messages, 27 percent of face-to-face conversations, and 37 percent of telephone calls. Based on that research, psychologist Richard Wiseman reminds us in a new video on his YouTube channel that we have the power to ward off lies simply by saying seven magic words:
Why do people tend to be more honest in emails?
"According to Hancock, people are reluctant to lie in an email because their words are recorded and could come back to haunt them," Wiseman, a professor at the University of Hertfordshire in the U.K., says in the video.
Check out the video. It's great. Trust us.
NOTE: Due to a technical error, an earlier draft of this article was published. The piece has been revised throughout.
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