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Turns out, being honest isn’t just good for soul but appears to have a positive impact on physical health as well.

Notre Dame professors Anita E. Kelly, PhD and Lijuan Wang, PhD conducted a study wherein participants in one group were asked to abstain from lying for ten weeks, while the others were given no specific instructions. Subjects regularly completed a polygraph test and measures of physical and mental health to determine whether or not the average American’s habit of telling a lie eleven times a week was detrimental to their overall well-being.

Those who told fewer lies in each group experienced fewer mental health complaints and improved physical health, as well as closer interpersonal relationships, and after five weeks of honest effort reported seeing themselves in a more truthful light.

So, for better health, it appears that honesty is, indeed, the best policy.

Full story at Newswise.

The science of honesty.

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