Sometimes lying can be good because there are things that are really hard to get used to, we need to gradually make ourselves be ok with whatever it is that is hard for us to accept. I try not to do this, But I accept it’s validity.
As a general rule I believe that we must try to exhibit or adopt a personality that accepts surprise, change, difficulty and the like. A personality like this would help us not lie to ourselves more, because life can throw anything at us and we would still have that quite belief in life/ourselves.
This experiment is neat because it shows the different gradations of self-deception, all the way up to its purest form, in which people manage to trick themselves hook, line and sinker. At this level people think and act as though their incorrect belief is completely true, totally disregarding any incoming hints from reality.
So what this study suggests is that for many people self-deception is as easy as pie. Not only will many people happily lie to themselves if given a reason, but they will only look for evidence that confirms their comforting self-deception, and then totally believe in the lies they are telling themselves.
Explains a lot, don’t you think?
via The Truth About Self-Deception | PsyBlog.