Honesty Isn’t as Costly as You Think - International Coaching Federation
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Honesty Isn’t as Costly as You Think

Posted by Lisa Cunningham (USA) | November 27, 2018 | Comments (3)

Being honest isn’t always easy, but it can lead to rewarding experiences that people would miss otherwise if they tell a fib or half-truth to avoid perceived uncomfortable situations.

Through a series of experiments, the findings of which were published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Emma Levine, assistant professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and Taya Cohen, associate professor of organizational behavior and theory at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business, found that people significantly overestimate the costs of honest conversations.

“We’re often reluctant to have completely honest conversations with others,” says Levine. “We think offering critical feedback or opening up about our secrets will be uncomfortable for both us and the people with whom we are talking.”

Yet, Levine and Cohen found that honest conversations are more enjoyable for communicators than expected and listeners react less negatively than expected.

For this research, Levine and Cohen defined honesty as “speaking in accordance with one’s own beliefs, thoughts and feelings.” In the first experiment, participants were completely honest with everyone in their lives for three days. For the second experiment, participants had to answer personal and difficult discussion questions honestly with a close relational partner present. Participants shared honest negative feedback to a close relational partner in the third experiment. For participants, each experiment ended up being more pleasant and social connecting than they anticipated.

“Taken together, these findings suggest that individuals’ avoidance of honesty may be a mistake,” according to Levine and Cohen. “By avoiding honesty, individuals miss out on opportunities that they appreciate in the long-run and that they would want to repeat.”

How might practicing honesty everyday impact your or your clients’ lives? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Lisa Cunningham (USA)

Lisa Cunningham is director of marketing content and communications for ICF. She holds a master’s degree in professional writing with a focus on web content development from Chatham University and a bachelor’s degree in English writing and communication from the University of Pittsburgh.

The views and opinions expressed in guest posts featured on this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of the International Coach Federation (ICF). The publication of a guest post on the ICF Blog does not equate to an ICF endorsement or guarantee of the products or services provided by the author.

Additionally, for the purpose of full disclosure and as a disclaimer of liability, this content was possibly generated using the assistance of an AI program. Its contents, either in whole or in part, have been reviewed and revised by a human. Nevertheless, the reader/user is responsible for verifying the information presented and should not rely upon this article or post as providing any specific professional advice or counsel. Its contents are provided “as is,” and ICF makes no representations or warranties as to its accuracy or completeness and to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law specifically disclaims any and all liability for any damages or injuries resulting from use of or reliance thereupon.

Comments (3)

  1. claudiaaguerocoach@gmail.com says:

    Me ha gustado muchismo este articulo.
    Extraordinario articulo que nos cuenta sobre lo beneficios de la HONESTIDAD en nuestras conversaciones y relaciones. Me invito a reflexionar y evaluar en mi misma como se vincula esta honestidad en la relación que tenemos con nosotros mismos y en las emociones que surgen cuando ocultamos y cuando simplemente somos honestos. Creo que nos merecemos sentirnos en paz.

    • Lisa Cunningham says:

      Hi Claudia,

      That is so well said! I’m usually one who often worries about how others will react to the full truth, so this news has put me a little more at ease. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

      Best regards,

      Lisa
      ICF Social Media Specialist

  2. Christophe Becquart says:

    Congratulation and thank you for this short and so true artcle.

    I can t agree more that honesty over harmony is the best way to go forward. Even when the harmony is shaking a bit, on the long run, it is the sustainable way to strengthen the relations.

    And this is ture in both professionnal and personnal life.

    Christophe

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