Throughout life we all develop certain belief systems which can become firmly cemented in our minds. Many times we tell ourselves stories that help to relieve anxiety or thoughts of a situation in the past that may have been somewhat unbearable. We also know that the placebo effect can be a kind of lie that is often used in research to test the power of suggestion. What is surprising is that even when a patient knows that they are taking the fake pill, they still obtain some relief as in a study with migraine sufferers out of Harvard University. The benefits of placebo remained the same even if the patient read "placebo" on the bottle. I suppose this demonstrates that what we know may not hold a candle to what we want.
A positive mindset in patients with ischemic heart disease showed that those with higher positive mood had 42% lower death rates than those with negative attitudes. This difference in mortality diminished, however, if both groups exercised. There is a big difference between being deluded about your disease vs having a positive vision of wellness and acting on it.
Now back to perceptions. An interesting study on the trajectories of perceived stress over time among older adults showed that negative affect usually decreases as we grow older. We tend to focus on positive vs negative stimuli relative to younger adults. It revealed that older people have greater regulation of their emotions and are less likely to employ destructive behavioral responses, name calling and shouting. (There's no question that you all have witnessed the opposite, as have I, but they are, thankfully, the minority). So even if exposure to stress increases, the way we perceive the stress changes with aging if we omit general health concerns. What also may be happening is that we are compensating for being a bit weaker physically and mentally. Let's face it, our minds and bodies are not as sharp and physically strong as when 50 or younger, for example, and the thought that "it's just not that important" is usually at the forefront of our minds. We see more options and other ways of handling upsetting circumstances. However, it's important to not believe the lie that we are "less than we once were." We're the same person with a heck of a lot of experience behind us. Nothing wrong with still being fiesty but it's a far cry from being a grouch.
All in all, innocent lies or viewing things differently can help us live more peacefully in this world as long as we are somewhat cognizant of them. This doesn't necessarily apply to politics and religion, which are more opinion/faith-based and learned from childhood, culture, experience and tradition. Heated discussions about who is right or wrong is useless as most are not going to jump ship because they "see the light." Narrowminded lies may be thrown around as if fact-based and obvious, when there may not be a speck of truth in them. Faith in a belief is, of course, different than faith vs belief. Throw reason, suppositions, fear, observations, wisdom and knowledge into the mix and it becomes both experiential and very personal, as it should be. The point is that regardless of what we know (truth) in contrast to what we think we know (is it true?), doesn't matter; either can be very meaningful to the individual, but maybe not to someone else. It's pointless to get angry over someone else not "seeing" what you "see." Maturity brings a quicker realization of this and to the fact that the world hasn't changed a whole lot since the beginning of time....... we will always believe in certain assumptions and disagree over issues. Always.
Will leave you with a different take on lying:
"There are those whose primary ability is to spin wheels of manipulation. It is their second skin and without these spinning wheels, they simply do not know how to function. They are like toys on wheels of manipulation and control. If you remove one of the wheels, they'll never be able to feel secure, be whole." (C. Joybell.C)
As our mother used to say, "They are more to be pitied than condemned."
- Jane Alise
References:
~Kam-Hansen, et al. (2014). Altered placebo and drug labeling changes the outcomes of episodic migraine attacks. Science Translational Medicine, 6 (218ra5). doi:10:11.26/scitranslmed.3006175
~Hoogwegt, M. T., et al. (2013). Exercise mediates the association between positive effect and 5 year mortality in atients with ischemic heart disease. Circulation:Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, 6:559 - 566. doi:10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.113.000158
~Vasunilashorn, S., Lynch, S. M., Glei, D. A., Weinstein, M., & Goldman, N. (2015). Exposure to stressors and trajectories of perceived stress among older adults. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences & Social Sciences. 70B (2) 329-337.