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American Morning

Interview with Robert Feldman

Aired June 18, 2002 - 07:47   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: It's time for some truth or consequences. If this new study that is out is to be believed, I guess we're all just a bunch of liars. Most people, according to these researchers, they say that most people will tell an average of three lies in a ten-minute conversation, unless you're Bill Hemmer, and then it might be more. But that's a different topic.

Truth be told, men and women, they not only lie, but we lie about the same amount but for different reasons. So we asked some people about the honesty's gender gap.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have lied about like people saying that something looks good on them, or that they look good when they really don't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are people. Women are no worse than men, OK? All of us are (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: That man just kind of says it like it is. Well, Robert Feldman is a psychology professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He conducted the study, and he joins us from Virginia Beach, Virginia this morning -- Professor, good morning.

ROBERT FELDMAN, PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS: Good morning.

KAGAN: Those two people we just picked off the street kind of fit in with what you found with your study that men and women lie, but for different reasons.

FELDMAN: Yes. What we found in the study was that, although men and women lied at about the same rate, the kinds of lies that they came out with were different. Women...

KAGAN: For instance, women...

FELDMAN: Women tended to lie in a way that made the person that they were talking to feel better about themselves. So they would say, oh, yes, I agree with you. Yes, you are right -- kinds of lies that kind of smoothed out the social situation. KAGAN: Do I look fat in these pants? Those kinds of lies. No, you don't. But men were trying to impress, like, yes, let me tell you about the big fish that I caught, or about my big, important job.

FELDMAN: Exactly.

KAGAN: Yes.

FELDMAN: Men tried to make themselves look better. They tried to impress the person that they were talking with. They exaggerated their accomplishments.

KAGAN: So explain to me how you did the study and how you came to this conclusion.

FELDMAN: Well, what we did in the study was to take unacquainted individuals and brought them into the lab and just said, "For ten minutes, we want you to get to know each other." And while they were doing that, while they were talking to each other for ten minutes, we videotaped them. Then we asked the participants in the study to watch the videotape of themselves, and to indicate anytime that they said something that was not entirely accurate.

And what we found was that 60 percent of the people lied at least once during this short ten-minute period, and of those 60 percent, the average number of lies was there in that short time.

KAGAN: And the interesting thing, too, about your study that when the people went back and were looking at the tape, they said that when they were talking, they didn't necessarily know that they were lying. That it just kind of came out.

FELDMAN: They were very surprised at their own behavior. Most people, when we asked them to watch the tape of themselves, said, oh, well, you know, I was totally truthful. I never lied. And then when they watched the tape, they were surprised to see themselves coming out with these lies.

KAGAN: But also originally, weren't you looking for some body language, like maybe there is a way we stand or men stand a certain way or they act when they are lying, but you really didn't find a consistent behavior on that.

FELDMAN: No, no, no.

KAGAN: So we can't really tell by body language.

FELDMAN: Yes. Yes, absolutely. We were looking -- one of the things we looked at is their body language and their nonverbal behavior. And I have watched these tapes many times, and we have just been unable to identify any time -- any kind of behavior that actually indicated when the person was being deceptive. The bottom line is people are very good at lying.

KAGAN: But let me challenge you this, Professor. When we say lie, that obviously has a negative connotation that that's a bad thing. But it's not always such a bad thing maybe. If I am telling you, you know what? That shirt looks fantastic on you today, Professor. Maybe that's a good thing to try to make you feel better. It does -- by the way, I am not lying there on that one.

FELDMAN: Well, good. You know, I sure want to believe that, and that's one of the things that happens in everyday life. There are lots of lies that we hear that we are very accepting of, because it's something that we want to believe. But ultimately, I think it has a negative effect on who we are and the kinds of social interactions that we have.

KAGAN: And this whole lying topic, this is almost an obsession for you. You have looked at children who lie. And in your next study, I think you are looking at how we lie on job interviews. As a psychologist, don't you think that's kind of interesting? Do you want to know why you are so obsessed with this lying business?

FELDMAN: Well, I think it's not necessarily an obsession, but I think it's important to know what's going on in everyday life, and especially because it's so commonplace.

KAGAN: Robert Feldman, University of Massachusetts, thank you for your time. And once again, I am sincere, and that I am not just trying to make you feel better about that getting up so early in Virginia Beach this morning -- thank you very much.

FELDMAN: Well, you are very welcome.

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