When It's Okay to Lie

Should you tell a harsh truth if it will only cause pain? Or is it sometimes kinder to keep someone in the dark? Psychologist Emma Levine explores the unwritten rules that guide when people feel it’s acceptable to lie — and what those choices reveal about trust, harm, and our deepest moral values. In our companion Hidden Brain+ episode, we explore ways to bridge the gap between the many lies we condone in practice, and the lying we claim to hate. If you're a subscriber, that episode is called “Telling The Truth About Lies.” If you're not yet a Hidden Brain+ subscriber, please visit support.hiddenbrain.org or apple.co/hidden brain for a free seven-day trial. Illustration by Masantocreative for Unsplash+ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.