(Dis)honesty: The Truth About Lies

You can't win; if you tell lies people will distrust you. If you tell the truth people will dislike you. - Oscar Wilde

From little white lies to criminal deceit and global deceptions, dishonesty is a universal constant of the world we live in. Commonplace acts of make clear cheating isn't just happening on a newsworthy scale, but in smaller, more mundane ways everywhere.

(Dis)Honesty - The Truth About Lies shows us that lying is a part of human nature, but little fibs can snowball into large-sale problems with major implications for society. Several recent studies have shown that we don't really understand the causes and complexities of dishonesty, but at the same time, research is indicating that reminding ourselves about our own morality makes us behave better. When we too often go to great lengths to rationalize the stories we concoct, why is it so hard for us to tell it like it is?

Join New America NYC for a screening of (Dis)Honesty and a conversation with the film's director and psychological and behavioral experts to explore the complex impacts dishonesty has on our lives and on society.

Follow the discussion online using #Dishonesty and by following @NewAmericaNYC. 

Introduction:

Beth Dembitzer
Curator, Social Cinema@New America
@bethdembitzer

Participants: 

Yael Melamede
Director and Producer, (Dis)Honesty - The Truth About Lies
@dishonestyproj

Dan Ariely
James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics, Duke University
Author, The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone – Especially Ourselves
@danariely

Jonathan Haidt
Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership, New York University
Author, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion
@JonHaidt

John Hockenberry
Host, The Takeaway, WNYC
@JHockenberry