If you speak in a foreign language, you are less likely to lie, researchers discovered.
The new study showed that the mere fact that you were in a foreign language made people more inclined to resist the temptation to tell a lie [19659002] In the study, native speakers of the English, Spanish, Hebrew and Korean in four countries invited to play a dice game in which they were paid according to the numbers they reported.
Participants using a foreign language played false more often than those who used their mother tongue, researchers discovered.
& # 39; When individuals have a chance to take advantage of dishonesty without risk being caught, their instinctive tendency is to cheat, while abstaining from cheating when they have time to deliberate, & # 39; 39, said Yoella Bereby-Meyer, professor of psychology at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel.
They say that opportunities often occur in everyday situations, such as lying about the age of a child to get a cheaper ticket price, or not speaking if you change too much.
& # 39; There is a natural temptation to lie in these situations & # 39 ;, she said.
Researchers believe that the outcome is due to the fact that the use of a foreign language is less intuitive, so that the automatic response systems that could lead to cheating are eliminated.
& # 39; There is less temptation, so it becomes easier to abandon pulsing behavior, "Bereby-Meyer said.
The study also offers a convincing story about inherent prejudice against foreigners.
Studies have shown that people with accents are found less credible because they are more difficult to understand, "said Boaz Keysar, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago who is co-author of the article.
the results suggest that the opposite may be true.
Keysar believes that this research has important implications, especially in world trade, where companies work with foreign suppliers and customers on a daily basis.
Although the instinct of a person is to trust these people less, the data show that if they use a foreign language, they might be more honest.
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