🏁 Axios Finish Line: Tell it like it is

Plus: Dangers of dishonesty | Wednesday, July 06, 2022

Open in app View in browser     Axios Finish Line By Mike Allen, Erica Pandey and Jim VandeHei ·Jul 06, 2022 Jul 06, 2022 Welcome back. We're at finishline@axios.com. Smart Brevity™ count: 470 words ... 2 mins.     1 big thing: Truth is good for health Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios   Here's a fascinating fact: The average American tells 11 lies a week. Why it matters: Lying less actually improves our mental and physical health. That's according to a recent study by researchers at Notre Dame. They asked a group of people to stop telling lies for 10 weeks — and told a control group to continue as normal. The truth-tellers reported fewer instances of poor mental health. That included feeling tense or melancholy, as well as physical symptoms (sore throats or headaches). The truth-tellers also reported improvements in their relationships with friends and family. And they said they felt generally more honest by the fifth week of avoiding lies. The big picture: The lies we tell range from relatively harmless — telling someone you liked a gift when you didn't — to big and bad, like taking credit for someone else's work. 89% of lies fall into the "little white lies" category, and 11% are "big lies," per a University of Wisconsin–La Crosse study. We lie most to those closest to us. The same study found 51% of fibs are told to friends, 21% to family members, and 11% to school or work colleagues. Just 9% of our lies are told to strangers. What's happening: When we tell lies — regardless of whether they're big or small — our bodies respond. Lying can trigger an increased heart rate, high blood pressure and elevated levels of stress hormones in the blood, psychologists have found. Over time, that can take a significant toll on mental and physical health. It's hard to quit lying cold turkey. But there are changes we can all make to be more honest, Notre Dame researcher and psychologist Anita Kelly told Yahoo News: Don't exaggerate. When you're telling someone good news, keep it simple and keep it real. Don't dress it up. Don't make up excuses. If you're late or if you forgot to return someone's call, just be honest about what happened. Chances are your friends and family will understand. If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all. We've all heard this one. If you're at dinner, and you hate the string beans but love the mashed potatoes, just compliment the chef on what you enjoyed. Share this story.     A message from Axios Smart Brevity® explained     We're living in a world with way too many words —and it's getting harder to find essential details in the urgent moments we need them. Smart Brevity® is how we break through. It's a communication style built on brain science. This two-minute video explains how it works.     👀 Dangers of dishonesty Even just witnessing dishonesty can be bad for someone's health, according to a paper from Berkeley's Haas School of Business. Those who see someone lie, cheat or steal can experience the same physiological effects — such as an increased heart rate and high blood pressure — as the liar themselves. The bottom line: Telling the truth is not only good for you, but for your friends, your co-workers and your kids.   Thanks for reading. Invite your friends to sign up. Are you a fan of this email format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 300 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: