A new, 11-minute clip from the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) features human motivation and behavior expert Dan Ariely, giving an animated presentation on the topic of human dishonesty, and how it is grounded in our minds.
The expert highlights two main drives that we have when it comes to handling reality: ego motivation, which is our tendency to do things that make us feel good about ourselves, and the drive to benefit from dishonesty, even if only a little bit.
No one should be able to follow these drives simultaneously, but Ariely explains how cognitive psychology and our ability to rationalize our own actions (sometimes to the point of deluding ourselves outright) can make us accept dishonesty as a way to improve our view of ourselves.
According to the scientist, people who are capable of rationalizing their actions to a higher degree are also more likely to still consider themselves honest, even if they engage in dishonest behavior. This clip is definitely worth watching through to the end.