We all like to think that, deep down, we are good people. But are we? To find out, answer ‘true’ or ‘false’ to the following:
a) I have never made a comment that I knew would hurt somebody’s feelings
b) Before voting, I always compare all of the candidates fairly, with an open mind
c) I have never pretended to be ill to get out of doing something
d) When someone else gets lucky, I am always pleased for them, never jealous
If you answered “true” to all of the above, then you are a true saint. Just kidding! What this actually tells us is that you are probably a fibber. In fact, although most people answer “true” to two or three of these questions, even this is probably stretching the truth.
A problem facing psychologists is that, when given a questionnaire, most people will lie a bit in order to portray themselves in a favourable light. In order to counter this tendency, many sprinkle their questionnaires with questions like those above. If a particular respondent answers “true” to all of them, then the psychologist knows to take his or her other responses with a pinch of salt.
This tactic is controversial, with many psychologists arguing that it doesn’t in fact help gather a true picture of people’s responses. However, one recent study found the more likely people were to fib on questionnaires, or quizzes such as this, the more likely they were to deny having used illegal drugs. In such cases the old adage applies: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
A fully referenced version of this article is available at benambridge.com. Order Psy-Q by Ben Ambridge (Profile Books, £8.99) for £6.99 at bookshop.theguardian.com
