Religion

DonViejo

(60,536 posts) Tue Oct 22, 2013, 11:20 AM Oct 2013

Study: Religious more likely to lie for financial gain

New research suggests people with certain personality traits are more prone to dishonesty

BY TOM JACOBS

“Everybody lies” was the mantra of Gregory House, the curmudgeonly physician so memorably portrayed by Hugh Laurie. But being a man of science, the brilliant doctor might want to rethink that philosophy in light of new research from Canada.

In an experiment where lying led directly to financial gain, just over 50 percent of the participants told an untruth. That figure is roughly consistent with previous research.

What’s new in this study by University of Regina economist Jason Childs is its breakdown of the personality traits of the liars. Unlike some previous research, he did not find men are more likely to lie than women.

However, he discovered other factors predicted a greater likelihood of telling an untruth—including the assertion that religion plays an important role in your life.

:::snip:::

http://www.salon.com/2013/10/22/study_religious_more_likely_to_lie_for_financial_gain_partner/

5 replies

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Study: Religious more likely to lie for financial gain (Original Post) DonViejo Oct 2013 OP

It would be interesting to see the numbers on this. Jim__ Oct 2013 #1

Another explanation: liars are more likely to lie and say they're religious than that they're not eomer Oct 2013 #2

There's also the idea of forgiveness Bradical79 Oct 2013 #3

Those who believe different things on Sunday and weekdays develop a flexible attitude to truth: dimbear Oct 2013 #4

financial gain... Carrie Jones Nov 2013 #5

Jim__

(14,077 posts)

1. It would be interesting to see the numbers on this.

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 12:09 PM

Oct 2013

Last edited Tue Oct 22, 2013, 12:50 PM - Edit history (1)

The only numbers I can find on this show 56% of males lie for small returns, and 52% lie for big returns - which I'd like to see explained. I can't find any numbers associated with business majors, children of divorce, or people for whom religions is important. How big is the effect? What is the standard error? What is the between the overlap between the 3 groups of liars? Access to the paper costs $36.

eomer

(3,845 posts)

2. Another explanation: liars are more likely to lie and say they're religious than that they're not

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 04:11 PM

Oct 2013

So the people who caused that correlation may have actually been liars who were likely to say they were religious when they actually weren't.

Bradical79

(4,490 posts)

3. There's also the idea of forgiveness

Reply to eomer (Reply #2)

Thu Oct 31, 2013, 12:48 PM

Oct 2013

Some people, maybe even subconsciously, completely misinterpret the idea of forgiveness. I think a lot of us have met someone at some point who takes the idea of praying and being instantly forgiven (or confessional) as a spiritual get out of jail free card.

dimbear

(6,271 posts)

4. Those who believe different things on Sunday and weekdays develop a flexible attitude to truth:

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Thu Oct 31, 2013, 07:28 PM

Oct 2013

makes sense.

Carrie Jones

(3 posts)

5. financial gain...

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Sun Nov 17, 2013, 08:29 AM

Nov 2013

I believe than religion can be more likely financial gains, but there are some things happen in the world that can be explained, what do you think about it?
I know that church earns a lot of money, in several countries it has more influance than a government, but it hels people, or their faith helps... i do not know but i believe
i can not even imagine myself without religion symbols, i have even recently bought new one here http://www.orospot.com/category-grp/82/religious-spiritual.aspx, i believe it protects me

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