Lying in Text

It seems people lie a lot more while texting than they would otherwise.

A new research paper that compares the level of deceit people will use in a variety of media, from text messages to face-to-face interactions, found that people lie more often in text messages than they do in other forms of communication.

The study involved 170 college students performing mock stock transactions in one of four ways: face-to-face, or by video, audio or text chatting.

Researchers promised cash awards of up to $50 to increase participants’ involvement in the role play. “Brokers” were promised increased cash rewards for more stock sales, while “buyers” were told their cash reward would depend on the yet-to-be-determined value of the stock.

The brokers were given inside knowledge that the stock was rigged to lose half of its value. Buyers found this out only after completing the mock sales transaction, when they were asked to report whether the brokers had deceived them in the sales process.

The authors found that buyers who received information via text messages were 95 percent more likely to report deception than if they had interacted via video, 31 percent more likely to report deception when compared to face-to-face, and 18 percent more likely if the interaction was via audio chat.

The fact that people were less likely to lie via video than in person was surprising, said David Xu, assistant professor at Wichita State University’s W. Frank Barton School of Business and lead author of the report. It’s thought that the so-called “spotlight” effect, where a person feels they’re being watched more closely on video than face-to-face, causes people to be more truthful.

Xu said this kind of research has implications for businesses looking to promote trust and build a good image. Obviously, independent insurance agents fall into that category.

Certainly it would be prudent for all professionals to remember that while it may be tempting to stretch the truth in short and rapid communication, honesty is the best policy in all cases.

All this text deception makes me wonder — should I believe my 20-something daughter when she texts that she’s coming over for dinner? That one’s a no-brainer of course. She’ll be bringing her laundry, too.

The lying while texting study will appear in the March edition of the Journal of Business Ethics. The other co-authors are Professor Karl Aquino and Associate Professor Ronald Cenfetelli with the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia.