While lying and deception may come easily to some, research suggests that generally, people find face-to-face deception to be more difficult than deception through other communication types (e.g., phone). In a recent article on the topic, researchers (Naquin et al., 2010) hypothesized that deception may be even more likely via email than pen and paper communication.
THE RESEARCH STUDY
In their series of three studies, the researchers showed that although deception occurred quite frequently for participants using both email and pen and paper, deception was indeed more common through email and the extent of deception (how big the lie was) tended to be greater via email. The authors further demonstrated that this was due to people finding it easier to justify deception when communicating via email.
However, the first two studies utilized an artificial game with no “real” consequences for deception, as would certainly not be the case in a work setting (e.g., tax audit). Thus, the researchers conducted a third study with full-time managers working on a more realistic simulation. In this study, any deception was revealed to others, thus providing real consequences to the deceiver. Nevertheless, the results were largely the same for all three studies, suggesting that even in the face of consequences; people tend to engage in more deception via email to promote self-interests.
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
Unfortunately, this research highlights a dark side of human nature and suggests that the way that employees communicate can impact their propensity to lie and engage in deception. The authors suggest that their findings may also point to a general tendency for people to more easily justify unethical behavior via online media. These findings are perhaps even more disturbing when we consider the frequency with which business is conducted online.
Naquin, C.E., Kurtzberg, T.R., & Belkin, L.Y. (2010). The finer points of lying online: E-mail versus pen and paper. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(2), 387-394.
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