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Does Technology Make Us More Honest?

Part 3 of the TED Radio Hour episode Why We Lie.

About Jeff Hancock's TEDTalk

Who hasn't sent a text message saying "I'm on my way" when it wasn't true? But some technology might actually force us to be more honest, says psychologist Jeff Hancock.

About Jeff Hancock

Jeff Hancock is an associate professor of cognitive science and communications at Cornell University. His research focuses on how we interact by email, text message and social media, seeking to understand how technology mediates communication. He argues that while the impersonality of online interaction can encourage mild fibbing, the fact that it leaves a permanent record of verifiable facts actually keeps us on the straight and narrow. Hancock has also studied how we form impressions of others online, how we manage others' impressions of ourselves, and how individual personalities interact with online groups.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

NPR/TED Staff
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