Honesty Is the Best Policy

459 Words2 Pages
Sreenivasan Iyer, 23, technical writer, agrees with the study. "A lie is usually accompanied with guilt, anxiety and most of all, stress. Besides, a lie usually never comes alone and one has to buy it wholesale. Truthfulness is as much a pragmatic thing as it is about morality. Most importantly, honesty usually indicates and breeds other traits that are required for a healthy mind, such as satisfaction, sincerity, absence of jealousy and a lot less heartburn or anxiety," says he. And how often does he lie? Sreenivasan admits, "I think I lie a little less than most. There may be good reasons for lying, but I do feel stressed when I have done something that goes against my grain." Affects metal health Psychologist Mansi Hasan also agrees with the study. Being honest helps keep unnecessary stress away. There are no internal conflicts for the individual. People who are dishonest often live in the fear of being caught. This fear keeps them on the "hooks of anxiety", which affects their mental health negatively. Honesty, on the other hand, makes you feel confident and fearless. The self image of an honest person is better and this feel-good factor helps him to feel positively in all aspects of his life, most importantly, their interpersonal relationships. Homeopathic physician and stress counsellor Dr Yatri Thacker says, "Honesty is the main ingredient of recovery, as without it there is no progression, self-development or personal understanding. It needs to be applied to each and everything we do, whether confronting people about their behaviour, or confronting ourselves about our weaknesses and limitations. Being honest allows us to be accountable and responsible for our actions, which in turn enables us to set the agenda for our lives." Physical downside Little do we realise that being dishonest can affect our physical health, too. "Sometimes one's dishonest
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