Being honest – with yourself
Posted on: Tuesday, August 30, 2016 Category: Uncategorized (59)< 1 min read
Lying. We all do it, and we all do it to everyone we know at some point. We also lie to ourselves according to Professor Dan Ariely. The motives for lying to others and ourselves is what drives New York Time’s bestselling author Professor Dan Ariely’s research, in his 2012 book The (honest) truth about dishonesty.
According to Ariely, all the reasons why we lie are based on rationalisation – an internal cost-benefit analysis. In white lies, we lie for other people. With non-white lies, we are lying for ourselves (Ariely, CNBC, 2015). Our lies are based on considerations of what could be gained, and what could be lost, from telling it.
So what is the extent to which people can be dishonest, but consider themselves as good people? Ariely bases this on the “fudge factor”; things that allow us to rationalise our dishonesty, in order for us to maintain our perception of being a good person (Ariely, CNBC, 2015):
- “Everybody else is doing it…”
- “I’m doing it for a good reason…”
- “I deserve it…”
- “It doesn’t really hurt anybody…”
So what is your “fudge factor”? Do you think that ‘honest’ is one of your brand values? If so, how honest?
So much of what we represent exists on a scale, understanding what is acceptable on yours is key to understanding your own personal brand.
