Geeks don't tell lies

THE BBC reports that people who fill in job applications on computers are more likely to tell the truth than those using handwriting.

The Radio 4 programme said these curious results will be unveiled at a science conference later today, and result from a survey of 172 people. The programme said researchers found that people filling in forms using paper forms were more likely to tell fibs than those using computers to submit their job applications.

The programme wheeled in a graphologist to give an explanation of the weird phenomenon. She said that the reason was that when people filled in applications by hand, they had more chance to think about things. People filling in computer forms were more likely to just fill in the form without giving much thought to the answers.

If true, this raises an interesting question: When people have time to think about things, are they more likely to lie? Or is it just that computer users are more truthful than those using outdated analogue technology? µ

L'INQ
Radio 4