Study Reveals Why People Believe Lies, Especially From Friends
A recent neuroimaging study shows that people tend to believe lies more often when they come from friends, particularly when there are potential rewards involved. Scientists can detect within seconds if someone is being deceived by a peer, by observing shared neural activity in different brain areas.
Social Connections and Brain Activity
Research led by Yingjie Liu at North China University of Science and Technology suggests that the likelihood of accepting false information depends not only on the message itself but also on the source delivering it. The study highlights that trust, emotional bonds, and potential rewards significantly influence whether a person accepts or rejects a lie.
Study Design and Methodology
The research, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, involved 66 healthy participants who communicated via computer screens while sitting opposite each other. When the shared information led to positive results for both, it was classified as a "gain"; negative results were categorized as a "loss."
“The key reason we chose ‘gain’ and ‘loss’ contexts is that they illustrate how people adjust decision-making in response to potential rewards or punishments.” – Rui Huang, contributing author
Conclusion
This study underscores the complex interplay of social trust and reward mechanisms in the brain that make people more prone to believe lies from friends.
Author’s summary: Trust and emotional ties significantly influence our brain’s response to rewards, making us more vulnerable to believing lies from friends in situations involving potential gains.