Lying is a difficult art form to master. Just ask Steve Rannazzisi. If Steve doesn't have much in the way of insight into the importance of an airtight fabrication, just askBrian Williams. If TV has taught us anything, maybe we should all just wait a few years and ask both of them at the same time when they join forces for the inevitable reality series Naked and Afraid: Liars Edition.
If a possible reality series isn't really one's cup of inspirational tea, just ask science. According to a recent study co-authored by Iris Blandon-Gitlin, professional bullshitters in training might enjoy a much higher success rate if they simply retain their urine for the duration of each lie's delivery. "Lying is a very difficult task," Blandon-Gitlin tells Popular Science while not lying. "You have to juggle a lot of information."
To test the potential impact of a full bladder on one's ability to masterfully present a total fabrication, Blandon-Gitlin rounded up willing participants and gifted them with free water:
In the study, which will be published in December’s issue of Consciousness and Cognition, subjects drank either five glasses or five sips of water and sat around for 45 minutes while their bladder filled up. They then had to lie about one of their strongly held opinions on a social issue in front of an interviewer and a camera, as well as giving a truthful statement. Later, two groups of observers watched the footage. One group rated the body language and confidence of the subject and the other tried to determine which statement was the truth and which was the lie.
Though this research is ultimately aimed at fully understanding the mental and physical processes associated with lying, it also points to further evidence of the so-called "inhibitory spillover effect." In short, this proposes that someone exhibiting a great amount of self-control in relation to one task (not peeing, for example) is more likely to be able to exhibit similarly great amounts of self-control in relation to additional tasks (lying). Too bad science couldn't help this guy a bit sooner:
This is also great news for anyone trying to pass a drug test, as science now agrees that all you really have to do is simply not pee.
