Can a kind lie build one kind of trust while damaging another?
Someone may seem more caring after saying something reassuring, yet less reliable if the reassurance turns out to be false. Experiments on prosocial lies distinguish trust in another person’s intentions from trust in their statements. The distinction is useful precisely because a single label such as trustworthy can hide two different judgments.
Questions you could explore
- Would the answer change if the recipient needed accurate information to make a decision?
- How might a benevolent lie affect trust in someone's intentions differently from trust in their accuracy?
Start reading
- faculty.wharton.upenn.eduProsocial lies: When deception breeds trust
Distinguishes trust in a person’s benevolence from trust in the accuracy of what they say.
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