
Emma E. Levine
Researcher
3
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2
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Sep 14, 2026
Why Conversations Go Wrong
92:08
92:22
92:39
93:04
95:56

Emma LevineGUEST
[sighs] I think it's really unfortunate that this mother at the end of her life faced such uncertainty and was not given the chance to say goodbye to her son.

Emma LevineGUEST
Uh, and I understand the motivation behind not sharing the son's illness with the mother, especially if that was his wishes, right? It, it is pro-social in many senses, both to the son and to protect the mother.

Emma LevineGUEST
But in, you know, my own research and just reflections, those types of deception tend to be appreciated only when they're temporary, right? If now's not the right time because there's too much uncertainty or she's fragile, we don't have to tell her everything right away.

Emma LevineGUEST
But eventually, right, most people think you should reveal because there is instrumental value in that truth.
Shankar VedantamHOST
And, and perhaps in, in situations like that, you know, it's more complicated than to say it's just the individual person's decision about, about what to do.
Why Conversations Go Wrong
92:23
92:37
92:54
93:19
96:10

Emma LevineGUEST
I think it's really unfortunate that this mother at the end of her life faced such uncertainty and was not given the chance to say goodbye to her son.

Emma LevineGUEST
Uh, and I understand the motivation behind not sharing the son's illness with the mother, especially if that was his wishes, right? It, it is pro-social in many senses, both to the son and to protect the mother.

Emma LevineGUEST
But in, you know, my own research and just reflections, those types of deception tend to be appreciated only when they're temporary, right? If now's not the right time because there's too much uncertainty or she's fragile, we don't have to tell her everything right away.

Emma LevineGUEST
But eventually, right, most people think you should reveal because there is instrumental value in that truth.
Shankar VedantamHOST
And, and perhaps in, in situations like that, you know, it's more complicated than to say it's just the individual person's decision about, about what to do.
When It's Okay to Lie
23:01
23:15
23:30
23:43

Emma LevineGUEST
So imagine that your spouse or partner is very, very ill and in the hospital, and you've cheated on them in the past.

Emma LevineGUEST
Should you tell them that you cheated on them? And this is kind of the basic question, but we randomize some details of this vignette.

Emma LevineGUEST
So in this case, about 30% of participants think it's the right thing to do to lie, so actually a substantial amount, even if your partner is likely to recover, think it's acceptable to lie to them about cheating.

Emma LevineGUEST
But this number goes up, it almost doubles, when you know your partner is about to pass away.
25 MINS LATER