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From MIT Technology Review:
Evolutionary biologists have long thought that lying ought to destroy societies. Now computational anthropologists have shown that nothing could be further from the truth.
It's easy to see how lying reduces the level of trust between individuals and so threatens the stability of societies. So how do societies survive all this lying?
Today, we get an answer thanks to the work of Gerardo Iñiguez at Aalto University in Finland and a few pals (including Robin Dunbar, an anthropologist from the University of Oxford of Dunbar's number fame). These guys have simulated the effect that lies have on the strength of connections that exist within a social network.
But they've added fascinating twist. These guys have made a clear distinction between lies that benefit the person being lied to versus lies that benefit the person doing the lying. In other words, their model captures the difference between "white" lies, which are prosocial, and "black" lies, which are antisocial.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by jbWolf on Friday June 13 2014, @10:42AM
Maybe I'm just weird, but I don't fully buy into what they are saying. Their study is certainly a good step forward, but my personal experience doesn't fully fit with what they say. I'll give some examples including one where white lies could hurt very badly.
When I got married [mumble] years ago, I told my wife that I'd give her honest feedback on her cooking. I encouraged her to try different things and the deal was that I'd try anything she cooked even if we suspected that I would hate it. I kept telling her I enjoyed her cooking even on a few items that we thought I'd dislike. I could tell she was dubious about all of my positive replies. One day, I told her I didn't like what she cooked and although she was hurt (she was more sensitive to criticism back then), I told her I was bound to dislike something at some point. A few weeks ago by and I keep giving her a thumbs up. One night, she asks, "Are you sure you like this?" I looked at her and I said, "You already know I'll tell you when I don't like something." From then on, she felt relaxed when I gave her a thumbs up because she knew I wasn't just giving her a white lie. How many husbands would have slipped the plate to the dog while their wife wasn't looking and given the wife a little white lie? My full truthfulness had a net positive. I eat things I like very, very often and she knows I love her cooking. About once or twice a year, I give her negative feedback on something she tried. (But she really is a great cook.)
But what if I did give her that white lie about the food? That lie is to protect her, right? The authors say the definition of a white lie is to benefit the other person (and in this case, at the expense of myself).
What if I'm with a bunch of coworkers are pro-Republicrats and I'm pro-Democan. When this group mentions something "horrible" that the Democans did and they all affirm their opinion by nodding their heads and I get nudged and asked, "What do you think J.B.?" I'm going to bite my tongue and nod my head too because I have to live with these guys day in and day out and I don't want the hassle. Once the cat is out of the bag that I'm pro-Democan, my life would be miserable. Who is that "white lie" for? Me or my co-workers? What if I'm a Christian in an strict Islamic country (or a satanist in a strict Christian area of America)? It's all the same thing... except the religious argument doesn't feel like a white lie anymore. I think it's because of the magnitude of the lie.
Let's look at another example. If I can issue white lies for my benefit (like the last example with co-workers), what if a guy or gal has a moment of weakness and cheats on their spouse. Is it ok for the cheater to lie to the spouse (saying something like "I never cheated") even if cheating a second time never happens? Who is that lie most beneficial for? The cheater or the spouse?
When a politician is asked "Do you support XYZ?" and they purposely dodge the question by a non-committal response so they don't alienate voters, is that a lie, a white lie, or not a lie at all? And whose benefit is that for? The politician's? Don't answer too fast because those politicians that do commit to actual answers do terribly at the polls. We the voters are saying we like politicians who verbally don't commit to anything.
I think the human race tells white lies because all of us are emotional. We can't handle actual facts or other people's honest opinions very often. When confronted with things we don't like, we react childishly. White lies are told to keep group emotions in check. Sometimes it is for the liar's benefit, sometimes it is for the person being lied to's benefit, and sometimes it is a societal benefit.
That's my two cents, at least. Chime in with your opinion. And don't lie. I promise I won't get emotional.
www.jb-wolf.com [jb-wolf.com]
(Score: 1) by TheCastro on Friday June 13 2014, @11:31AM
I don't think lying all of the time is the point. I think it's more like saying someones shoes look good even if they aren't your favorite since it doesn't have an effect on you. Eating crappy food does have an effect on you, so you shouldn't lie.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 13 2014, @11:37AM
Blackguardly liar! Stars are made of plasma, never of gases!