Spring Break
Truth is, everyone lies; professor delves into the world of deception
Elaine D’Aurizio | The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
Issue date: 11/29/04 Section: News
It could also be why we find pets so endearing. But Keenan's studies involve humans, his decade-long research done with student surveys, videotapes and audiotapes. His findings have been published in top scientific journals.
Keenan, who has lectured internationally, included his studies on deception in a book published last year called "The Face in the Mirror: The Search for the Origins of Consciousness." Co-authored by Keenan, Dean Falk and Gordon Gallup, it explores why some species develop self-awareness and others do not, and when and how we become aware of our presence and thoughts.
Keenan, an associate professor of psychology who trained at Harvard Medical School in neuroscience, is easy to talk to, energetic and enthusiastic.
"He's an excellent mentor who really stands out at Montclair in his dedication to his students and his excitement about what he's doing. He loves his work," said Amanda Johnson of Bloomingdale, N.J., a second-year graduate student who has worked with Keenan since she was an undergraduate.
That research has revealed another gender difference that appears early in childhood. Little girls learn what Keenan calls "spare your feelings lies."
"Little girls do it better than little boys, who tend to say what they think," he said.
Of course, some people are better at the game than others, regardless of age. What makes a good liar is the ability to read the other person's mind. Con artists are terrific at it.
"If you can get into someone's mind, you'll have a real advantage," Keenan said. "The key to being a really good con artist is being a really good mind-reader, telling someone what they want to hear."
Getting into someone's mind is also what dating is about, Keenan said. "Men want to find out what women want to hear and women want to know what men want to hear."
And what, did he find, do the sexes want to hear?
"Men like to hear that they're funny and smart," Keenan said. "Women want to hear that a man makes good money and wants to get married and have kids."
Another attribute of the good liar is being self-aware.
"People who are aware of their own thoughts and are introspective are actually better at reading you," Keenan said. And, the longer you are in a relationship, the better you are at telling if your spouse is lying, he said.
But hey, aren't we hearing a lot about moral values these days? Doesn't lying come under that heading?
"Morally, lying is wrong," said Keenan, who earned his bachelor and master of arts degrees from State University of New York-New Paltz, and his doctorate in bio-psychology from State University of New York-Albany.
Advantage or not, lying ultimately carries a big price tag: loss of credibility.
"The worst thing that can happen to you in this society is to be labeled a liar. You can't have a society based on lies," said Keenan. "We also all have an innate feeling of fairness. And lying isn't playing fair."
Keenan, who has lectured internationally, included his studies on deception in a book published last year called "The Face in the Mirror: The Search for the Origins of Consciousness." Co-authored by Keenan, Dean Falk and Gordon Gallup, it explores why some species develop self-awareness and others do not, and when and how we become aware of our presence and thoughts.
Keenan, an associate professor of psychology who trained at Harvard Medical School in neuroscience, is easy to talk to, energetic and enthusiastic.
"He's an excellent mentor who really stands out at Montclair in his dedication to his students and his excitement about what he's doing. He loves his work," said Amanda Johnson of Bloomingdale, N.J., a second-year graduate student who has worked with Keenan since she was an undergraduate.
That research has revealed another gender difference that appears early in childhood. Little girls learn what Keenan calls "spare your feelings lies."
"Little girls do it better than little boys, who tend to say what they think," he said.
Of course, some people are better at the game than others, regardless of age. What makes a good liar is the ability to read the other person's mind. Con artists are terrific at it.
"If you can get into someone's mind, you'll have a real advantage," Keenan said. "The key to being a really good con artist is being a really good mind-reader, telling someone what they want to hear."
Getting into someone's mind is also what dating is about, Keenan said. "Men want to find out what women want to hear and women want to know what men want to hear."
And what, did he find, do the sexes want to hear?
"Men like to hear that they're funny and smart," Keenan said. "Women want to hear that a man makes good money and wants to get married and have kids."
Another attribute of the good liar is being self-aware.
"People who are aware of their own thoughts and are introspective are actually better at reading you," Keenan said. And, the longer you are in a relationship, the better you are at telling if your spouse is lying, he said.
But hey, aren't we hearing a lot about moral values these days? Doesn't lying come under that heading?
"Morally, lying is wrong," said Keenan, who earned his bachelor and master of arts degrees from State University of New York-New Paltz, and his doctorate in bio-psychology from State University of New York-Albany.
Advantage or not, lying ultimately carries a big price tag: loss of credibility.
"The worst thing that can happen to you in this society is to be labeled a liar. You can't have a society based on lies," said Keenan. "We also all have an innate feeling of fairness. And lying isn't playing fair."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Jee
posted 5/27/09 @ 2:07 PM CST
This is interesting...I just looked at the last section in this article where it says:
"People who are aware of their own thoughts and are introspective are actually better at reading you," Keenan said. (Continued…)
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