Planning to fib to your boss about your whereabouts later today? You might consider waiting until you have to pee.
According to a recent bizarre study, people with full bladders ought to be better liars than those who are more, well let's just say.. Relaxed.
Researchers at California State University had student volunteers fill out questionnaires about their viewpoint on certain moral and social issues. They were then divided into two groups, with one half of the volunteers were asked to drink a whopping 700mL of water and the other a scanty 50mL. This was not even a bit related to the study. After forty-five minutes, the volunteers were asked to lie about the beliefs they previously stated. As a result, the group who drank a ginormous amount of water was judged to be more convincing by third-party observers.
Why do you ask? Those who drank more water showed fewer "behavioral hints to trickery," things like extra fidgeting, vocalized pauses, and lots of blinking. The researchers think that a full bladder may contribute to more focus because bladder control and other forms of impulse control may be controlled by the same areas in your brain.
Lead study author Iris Blandón-Gitlin, PhD explained to the New Scientist that the impulse controls are subjectively different but in the brain they're not. In other words, while your brain is focusing on holding in urine, you're also more in control of other things.
Blandón-Gitlin added that there is a trick to make it work. You have to make sure the urge isn't an emergency. If it's just enough to keep you on your toes, you might be able to focus and be a better liar, but beyond that it could just make it harder to get away with your tall tale.
The lesson: While you should eventually aim for honesty, if you must tell a fib be very sure to load up on liquids first.
