Is lying always wrong? Psychological research
“Occasionally, a small lie is an act of empathy, and not deception”, explains dr hab Michał Białek, prof. UWr, and the head of the Department of Psychology in Management (Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Historical and Pedagogical Sciences), the co-author of the research, which was published in the British Journal of Social Psychology.
According to the study, in human communication, there is no single, universal strategy of answering questions or providing feedback. People value the ability to recognise the emotional needs of another person, and, in particular, to adjust the communication to the social context.
So, why do we lie?
Prof Michał Białek: Let us ask another question: why do people tell the truth? Is it just about truth being a moral value? Would one be obliged to tell the truth during the occupation, when asked about the hiding place of the Jews?
People do what is most beneficial to them, their intimates, and others. Our research shows that they sometimes value the good of others over honesty. Knowing that somebody doesn’t cope with the criticism, our respondents preferred to lie rather than to hurt them with the harsh truth.
Are honest people’s lives more difficult?
It depends. Not everybody is ready to hear the truth and sometimes the honesty doesn’t have any positive consequences. For example, if your friend is going out on a date, it only makes sense to tell her that she doesn’t look well if she can still come back home and change. If she can’t, maybe it is better to lie. At least, that is what most of our respondents believe.
Interestingly, in our study, those who adjusted their answers to the needs of others (telling the truth to those who could accept the criticism and lying to the more vulnerable ones) were considered just as moral as those who were always honest. People accept this inconsistency as a sign of vulnerability to other people’s needs.
Is life in the times of political correctness easier?
It may be. In fact, many of us struggle with providing others with critical feedback. That is why students today are earning much higher grades. Twenty years ago, only 25% of Harvard students would get ‘A’s. Today, it is almost 50%.
But do we want to live in the world of absolute, harsh and brutal truth?
Our research shows that we do not. Small lies are like the machine oil for social relations. People in our study chose to lie to a vulnerable person, because they considered it more helpful than the painful truth.
So it is not worth to be honest?
On the contrary. Most of our respondents preferred to receive honest feedback and recommended sincerity in sharing their opinions about others. What is interesting about our discovery is the fact that so-called “prosocial lies” (lies dictated by the care for others), were not considered less moral than honesty. People understand that a small lie can sometimes be an act of empathy rather than deception.
The study was conducted by psychologists dr hab. Katarzyna Cantarero, prof. USWPS, from the Institute of Psychology at SWPS University and dr hab. Michał Białek, prof. UWr, at the Institute of Psychology of the University of Wrocław. It examined how we choose and assess people who provide us with feedback; whether we prefer those who are always honest or those who lie to avoid hurting our feelings. The results were published at the end of 2025 in the “British Journal of Social Psychology”.
Edited by Katarzyna Górowicz-Maćkiewicz
Translated by Julia Wdowiak (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.
Date of publication: 05.02.2026
Added by: EJK
