The Secret to Happiness: Self-deception

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The Secret to Happiness: Self-deception
Introduction
At a very young age, people are taught about being a good citizen, and to be one, there are certain virtues that need to be imbibed. One of the most important virtue is honesty. Society molds people to believe that these are essential to achieving success in the various aspects of our lives such as self-improvement, family bonds, career development, etc. but in this discussion, the different perspectives and effects of the science of dishonesty and self-deception will be tackled.
The Sackheim and Gur quiz
The Sackheim and Gur quiz is a very unique set of embarrassing questions that surprisingly reveals a lot about humanity and the way that the human brain functions. It asks sensitive questions that will force people to at least think about topics that are considered taboo, rape, defecation, and suicide to name a few. These are topics that are not acceptable to society, even though people are aware of them, these are not the common center of conversations. In line with the way society formed its norms, these embarrassing questions now make people face their deepest fantasies and desires without being bound by chains of society’s norms and expectations.
It is amazing how these questions along with the observation of the body’s response to them shows many sides of the person being interrogated. The wild questions made up by Sackheim and Gur in a bar helps in studying how the human mind works, and with the help of science, it can be proven that the body truly knows the truth. The body does not lie. This is something that I have already known but is now more reinforced because of this experiment. A discovery that appears to be new to me is how those that lied or answered conservatively, just like how the world expects them to answer, are more successful and are even considered achievers in life. It contradicts my former longtime belief that hard work, honesty, and character are the key to success because actually, it is not. Self-deception becomes a powerful tool that removes the barriers that are set by ourselves and society, freeing the individual from any doubts or depressing realist view. Now I am able to see the positive aspects of dishonesty and its wonderful effects on the lives of each person, greatly helping people cope and live day by day.
Rutger Bregman’s “The Real Lord of th...