“The bigger brain, the larger the capacity to lie.” This is from a psychiatrist at Duke Institute. He says it kindly, nonjudgmentally, and yet, it’s haunting.
(Dis)Honesty – The Truth About Lies is a fascinating documentary about the human inclination to lie. Dan Ariely – an Israeli-American professor at Duke University and bestselling author – is the voice behind much of the film. Ariely and Producer/Director Yael Melamede interviewed people from all backgrounds who opened up about how dishonesty unraveled their lives. Money laundering, fudged resumes, doping – no lie was too great or too small.
Ariely’s research is in “behavioral economics” which puts people in different situations and sees how they behave. The confessions are chilling – from footage of Donald Rumsfeld, Lance Armstrong, Bernie Madoff caught in their well-aired lies, to a mom from Akron, Ohio who lied to get her daughters into a better school. Ariely’s labwork and lectures on behavioral experiments are just as riveting. He is truly charming even when he’s describing dots and dashes. He is obviously in love with the human brain and its irrationalities.
Spoiler alert: you will realize you’ve lied at least once today.
And for those of you who feel brave enough to come clean, join the worldwide confessional at www.thedishonestyproject.com.
Check here for a screening near you, or watch on iTunes and Google Play.
