Why Honest People are More Attractive
Authenticity Is Alluring, Appealing
We make credibility determinations all day long, both consciously and unconsciously, as we navigate our social environments both personally and professionally.
I’ve previously written about how love blinds, complicating the challenge of detecting dishonesty within close relationships, and whether we should overlook dishonesty to maintain romance (the answer is “No.”). New research, however, provides some interesting insights about how we might be more perceptive than we think.
The Attraction of the Truth:
ten Brinke et al. (2025) studied the link between truth-telling and attractiveness.
They began by acknowledging what most of us have realized (usually after the fact) as a practical matter: that despite the widespread awareness of interpersonal deception, people rarely believe others are lying.
Yet we might be better lie detectors than we think instinctively, as ten Brinke et al. (ibid.) note that indirect evaluation causes people to view liars and truth-tellers differently, even without suspicion.
The Attraction of Authenticity
In their research, ten Brinke et al. (supra) showed that people were found to be more attractive when they were telling the truth than when they were lying.
Regarding the mechanism, they explain that this result is due to perceived openness and warmth. ten Brinke et al. (supra) found the “truth attraction” effect was stronger when evaluating women than men, although the gender of the perceiver did not make a difference.
Regarding how these perceptions impact behavior, ten Brinke et al. note that people may be more likely to approach individuals they believe are honest, even when not actively seeking to judge credibility.
Specifically, not only were participants more attracted to truth-tellers, but they were also less attracted to deceivers during the moment when critical questions revealed the truth or a lie, than during baseline questions where everyone was honest.
They even found that targets were viewed as more attractive when telling the truth versus lying about the same topic.
And yes, the ladies were perceived as more attractive when they were being honest versus lying, although veracity did not impact attractiveness ratings of men.
Desiring Honesty and Detecting Deception
ten Brinke et al. (supra) found that perceptions of openness and warmth mediated the relationship between target veracity and perceived attractiveness ratings, which as a mechanism to explain the effects, must operate outside of conscious consideration.
Indeed, they note that behaving in a fashion that is unpleasant or uncooperative, and providing little detail, have been identified as predicting deception (citing DePaulo et al., 2003).
Considering the role that attraction plays within our interpersonal interactions, we may experience higher motivation to approach truth-tellers than liars, which not only leads to positive relationships with authentic, trustworthy new friends and contacts, but spares us from the costs, results, and sometimes heartache of deception.
The Truth Will Set You Free — and Make a Great First Impression
These results provide valuable insight into our innate ability to perceive more than meets the eye or ear, but also have personal relevance to anyone prone to stretching the truth.
From exaggeration to evasion, apparently, we are more transparent than we think.
And considering the link between perception and social engagement, honesty is not only the best policy, but best way to bond with others, and develop relationships of authenticity and trust — both looking and sounding good in the process.
This article was originally published in Psychology Today, and is used with the permission of its author.
Wendy L. Patrick, JD, MDiv, Ph.D., is an award-winning career trial attorney and media commentator. She is host of “Live with Dr. Wendy” on KCBQ, and a daily guest on other media outlets, delivering a lively mix of flash, substance, and style. Read Dr. Wendy L. Patrick’s Reports — More Here.
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