Are White Lies as Innocuous as We Think?
This research examines the implications of telling an “innocent” white lie after a negative interpersonal encounter. We propose that if a white lie falls outside an acceptable range of dishonesty, cognitive dissonance will arise and produce negative affect. Deceivers will then be motivated to reduce the dissonance and will do so by engaging in behaviors that favor the wrongdoer with potentially negative consequences for the self. We test our conceptualization across three studies. In study 1, we explore the impact of one factor that determines whether a white lie falls outside the acceptable range of dishonesty—the salience of the norm of honesty. In studies 2 and 3, we examine the role of two factors, affect certainty and source certainty, that are predicted to moderate the impact of the negative affect on deceiver’s downstream judgments and behaviors toward the target of the white lie.
Year of publication: |
2012
|
---|---|
Authors: | Argo, Jennifer J. ; Shiv, Baba |
Published in: |
Journal of Consumer Research. - University of Chicago Press. - Vol. 38.2012, 6, p. 1093-1093
|
Publisher: |
University of Chicago Press |
Saved in:
Online Resource
Saved in favorites
Similar items by person
-
Are white lies as innocuous as we think?
Argo, Jennifer J., (2012)
-
A contemporary review of three types of social influence in consumer psychology
Argo, Jennifer J., (2019)
-
Shape‐ and Trait‐Congruency : Using Appearance‐based Cues as a Basis for Product Recommendations
Vallen, Beth, (2018)
- More ...