With remote work and telehealth changing the way people communicate, a new study found that people are most likely to fib over video chat, according to a Nov. 8 report published in Human Communication Research.
Four things to know:
- For its study, researcher David Markowitz, PhD, from the Eugene-based University of Oregon, had 250 participants record their social interactions and the number of interactions with a lie over a seven-day period. Participants measured communications that were in-person, over social media, on the phone, through text messaging, video chat and email.
- The study found that 12.3 percent of all lies were over video chat, followed by 11.8 percent of lies told over the phone, 9.6 percent told in person, 8.6 percent on social media, 8.2 percent on texting and 7.8 percent via email.
- Dr. Markowitz said deception rates might differ across media because people use certain forms for work while others are used for social relationships, according to a Nov. 12 Fast Company report. For example, they might lie less on email because it is more commonly used in professional circumstances and there is a higher risk associated with getting caught.
- Lying was also lower across the board despite perceptions that the digital age might make doing so easier, according to the report.