Watch the Netflix documentary (Dis)honesty

 

In this documentary (Dis)Honesty

(Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies — Overview

(Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies is a 2015 documentary directed by Yael Melamede, inspired by the work of behavioral economist Dan Ariely235. The film investigates the psychology of lying, exploring why people lie, how they justify dishonesty, and the broader consequences for individuals and society267.

Key Themes and Insights

Why We Lie

• The documentary draws on Ariely’s behavioral experiments, demonstrating that most people consider themselves honest yet admit to lying under certain circumstances5.

• Lying is shown to be a universal human behavior, motivated by factors like self-interest, the desire to avoid hurting others, or rationalizations that make small lies seem acceptable67.

• Ariely’s “fudge factor” theory explains how people justify minor dishonest acts as morally permissible, allowing them to maintain a positive self-image while still being dishonest67.

The Scale and Impact of Dishonesty

• The film argues that widespread minor dishonesty—so-called “little cheaters”—collectively causes more harm to society than the rare, high-profile cases of large-scale fraud56.

• Examples range from tax evasion and cheating on exams to doping in sports and financial corruption16.

• Ariely’s research highlights that the cumulative effect of small lies can be significant, such as the IRS losing an estimated 15% of tax revenue to minor cheating5.

Personal and Societal Consequences

• Through personal testimonies and reenactments, the documentary illustrates the real-world fallout from dishonesty, including broken relationships, lost jobs, and damaged reputations56.

• The film also explores the erosion of trust in institutions and the broader economic and social costs of dishonesty16.

Can We Become More Honest?

• Ariely’s experiments reveal that simple interventions—like signing an honor code or recalling moral guidelines (e.g., the Ten Commandments)—can significantly reduce cheating5.

• The film suggests that fostering environments where honesty is actively promoted can help curb dishonest behaviors5.

Reception

• The documentary received generally positive reviews for its engaging mix of research, anecdotes, and real-world examples, though some critics noted it could have been more cohesive in connecting personal stories with scientific findings25.

• It holds an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 60/100 on Metacritic, reflecting mixed to favorable critical reception2.

Conclusion

(Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies offers a thought-provoking look at the complexities of human honesty, blending academic research with compelling personal stories. It challenges viewers to reflect on their own behaviors and the subtle ways dishonesty shapes both personal lives and society at large1256.

1. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2630898/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/(Dis)Honesty:_The_Truth_About_Lies
3. https://www.netflix.com/title/80047681
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVix6vognrY
5. https://www.yalescientific.org/2017/07/documentary-review-dishonesty-the-truth-about-lies/
6. https://jfi.org/programs/jfi-film-archive/(dis)honesty-the-truth-about-lies
7. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dishonesty-truth-lies-cortney-s-warren-ph-d-
8. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dis_honesty_the_truth_about_lies
9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2Gsrddp_z0

It talks about how a college professor set out to do a study on how much people cheat on test and taxes etc.  The conclusion he came to towards the end was that when people saw other people cheat on tests and get away with it, they were much more willing to cheat themselves.  They studied this by allowing students to take tests then grade themselves and took note of how much people cheated and most of this was small but when amplified by any amount all of these small amounts became a much larger sum of cheating or money if it pertains to taxes and it was all based on what is socially acceptable.  If they saw their peers cheat and get away with it they felt it was socially acceptable to do the same and the cheating only got worse when it went unchecked.  

    This is what I believe has happened to society today with lying, exaggerating, and misinformation as well as conspiracy theories being spread online.  The social norm is for people to never even check facts or check the sources before regurgitating what they feel or what already goes along with the deeply held beliefs.  In other words if the lie fits with what a person wants to believe they are more likely to consume it as fact without even a second thought but if it goes against what they believe the simply dismiss it and don't give it another thought which is a prime example of cognitive dissonance which my family has proven is a widespread illogical fallacy.   Another fallacy is cognitive bias, this is where one only takes information or seeks out information that confirms what they already believe is true, while we all have biases because of our upbringing or our enviorment or circumstances, it's best to just be aware of your biases and take them into account before jumping to any conclusions.  If you truly think your theory is a good theory you should try to disprove it first and if you cannot disprove your theory then you know you are on to something, this is called playing the devil's advocate, trying to poke holes in your pet theory.  Then there is the anchoring effect, this is easiest to try yourself by telling for example your spouse you want something, show them the very expensive version of it first then after you get a reaction, you show them the more reasonable thing you actually wanted from the very beginning and they will be much more likely to buy it and feel good about it as well.  Another Illusion is the Baaider-Meinhoff Illusion and this is easiest to explain by when you get a new car or suv for example, after you get it you start to notice the same car or suv everywhere, the illusion is that they were there all along you just didn't notice them until you had got one yourself, something similar to this happened to me when I was researching these psychology topics and learned about all these narcissistic tendencies or tactics to manipulate people.  After studying them for a while (even thou I did not want to) I have noticed that most of my family are narcissistic personality types such as my father, being the grandiose narcissist similar to my grandmother and Latisha and Kyle are one's as well, while my sister, the vulnerable narcissist, as well as Judy rawlings, both like to play the victim in order to manipulate people and the only time all these types get along or work toward a common goal is when they are either threated or share a common hatred or goal to achieve.  Narcissist's can be easily fooled by pretending to have the same interests or goals as they do.  This is especially true when people have insider knowledge about the other's religous beliefs or in my case how little they truly care about their own family while some narcissistic family's can communicate very effectively, mine was the opposite and some people took advantage of this to the extreme.  In society today, exaggerating or lying, or spreading misinformation has became the social norm but this should have never been the case but due to most people's laziness in fact checking or checking the sources before they shared or spread these lies, has led to a society that is fueled with rumors and gossip because a cleverly crafted lie or one that has partial truths will spread 7 times faster than the truth, mainly because the truth is boring and normal while the lie is novel or new, and people love sharing what they think no one else knows due to how new it is to them, and the main places they have done this is Facebook and YouTube.  The conspiracy theories that have gone mainstream mainly have came from one source and he is the current sitting president. It started with the birther theory when Obama was president or maybe even before then came Alex Jones the sandy hook denier who did Info wars and was sued by the survivors and ultimately lost 1.5 billion dollars in the settlement to the lawsuit the survivors brought against him.  The people that followed him harassed the parents of the children who died in that incident and he got what he rightly deserved and is no longer talked about and doesn't peddle all his lies like the iodine supplements and several other quack remedies that probably ultimately caused many problems rather than solving any due to people not doing very through research on things before they tried them, but narcissist's tend to think what they believe to be right no matter what evidence you show them , so many refuse to ever believe anything that goes against what they believe because it makes them very uncomfortable  and causes cognitive dissonance so they have to choose, either come to grips that what they thought was wrong and admit fault or double down on their conformation biases.  In my experience so far they usually double down instead of ever admitting they were wrong in any way shape or form.  These narcissist's also use triangulation, and typically exhibit schadenfreude which is showing pleasure in watching other's suffer which is exactly what watching "fail video's" is, basically enjoying watching the suffering of other's.  Most narcissistic types are very passive with their aggression towards others and can even go undetected for a long time but with all narcissist's their favorite weapon to cause someone to doubt their reality is GASLIGHTING.  If you try to tell someone your reality is more real than the person who actually went thru something then that is the behavior you are doing to them.  Everyone's perspective is different but not everyone pushes their version of reality harder than a tried and true gaslighter will to make you doubt yourself, cause confusion, and even causing suicidal thoughts when being isolated for a long period of time.  The silent treatment is also a form of abuse, and another form of gaslighting, it's actually emotional abuse in that it makes a person feel unwanted, and ignored as if how they feel is not important or irelevant which can lead to many things.  This is one way homegrown or extremist's are made is by isolating someone then the extremist group reaches out to the person who is isolated and the only reason they welcome it is due to wanting to feel like they belong to a group or share the same reality with a group of people that normally if they had a supportive group or family to show them support, they would never even consider such extreme beliefs.  Narcissist's can also be very charming at times often hiding their bad behaviors behind closed doors, so they can keep their social status in tact while abusing the victims  and no one is the wiser.  They also use a tactic called love bombing which is a form of flattering a subject or victim into giving into what they want like gifting some puppies or something of that nature when the bad behavior is what should not be ignored, as they did their own spouse or girlfriend which is why they made the choice they did, because while together they CHOSE to drink and smoke with their friends instead of spending time with the person they supposedly loved.  If you let them get away with it, then the behavior will only continue, I have learned you have to earn forgiveness for these behaviors because blind forgiveness only allows them to continue their bad behaviors they needed forgiving for in the first place, it's similar to when someone get's a slap on the wrist for committing a crime, they are much more likely to do it again if they receive no real world punishment, or it isn't made real to them.  

Weaponized empathy occurs when manipulators exploit compassionate language to defuse accountability. Statements like, “I’d never hurt you intentionally—you know how much I care,” serve to invalidate legitimate grievances while maintaining a façade of concern. This technique proves particularly insidious in workplace hierarchies, where supervisors might gaslight employees by framing exploitative demands as “growth opportunities.”

Deflection and misdirection redirect conversations away from the manipulator’s misconduct. A gaslighter confronted about financial irresponsibility might counter with, “Why are you obsessed with money? Are you having mental health issues?”—shifting focus to the victim’s supposed instability.

Compulsive lying forms the bedrock of gaslighting operations, with manipulators fabricating events, denying agreements, or altering historical narratives. Victims report partners adamantly insisting, “We never discussed moving cities,” despite concrete evidence to the contrary.

Twisting the truth involves partial admissions blended with falsehoods. For instance, after intentionally damaging a colleague’s project, a gaslighter might concede, “I adjusted your work, but only because you’d made catastrophic errors,” despite the victim’s meticulous preparation.

Behavioral shape-shifting refers to dramatic persona alterations between private and public settings. Abusers might berate partners at home yet perform affectionate displays during family gatherings, leaving victims isolated when attempting to disclose abuse.

Reputational erosion entails covert campaigns to discredit victims. Gaslighters spread rumors about a target’s alleged instability, often feigning concern: “I hate to say this, but Sarah’s been acting paranoid lately—maybe keep your distance”.

Proxy gaslighting recruits third parties to validate false narratives. A parent might enlist relatives to convince a child they “exaggerate” childhood trauma, compounding self-doubt through communal invalidation.

Grandiose self-importance fuels beliefs of inherent superiority, with narcissists considering themselves exempt from societal norms. They may demand preferential treatment in queues or expect partners to abandon careers to cater to their needs.

Exploitative transactionalism reduces relationships to utilitarian exchanges. Colleagues become “stepping stones” for promotions, while romantic partners are valued primarily for enhancing the narcissist’s social status.

Parasitic entitlement drives unreasonable expectations of service. A narcissistic family member might demand inheritance advances while dismissing others’ financial struggles as “poor life choices”.

Empathic void describes the inability to recognize or value others’ emotional states. When a friend grieves a loss, the narcissist might respond, “Stop being dramatic—my problems are worse”.

Schadenfreude addiction involves deriving pleasure from others’ misfortunes. Narcissists may covertly sabotage peers’ projects to revel in their failures while offering faux sympathy.

Rage cyclones erupt when narcissists perceive challenges to their authority. Partners describing a narcissist’s infidelity might face hours of screaming accusations about “invading privacy”.

Validation vampirism requires constant external affirmation to stabilize fragile self-worth. Social media becomes a platform for fishing compliments, with narcissists obsessively monitoring likes and demanding praise for mundane achievements.

Criticism catabolism triggers disproportionate rage or self-victimization upon receiving feedback. A manager told to improve communication skills might demote the employee for “creating a toxic environment”.

Chameleonic identity shifting adapts personalities to manipulate different audiences. A narcissist might present as a devout conservative to one group and a progressive activist to another, lacking any authentic ideology.

If someone you know is displaying these characteristic's, then the only way for them to get better is by therapy and learning to be humble and admit when they are wrong or learn how to take in evidence when they are presented with it, because in my case no amount of evidence will ever change my family's mind but when confronted with their own bad behaviors and the punishment the judge gives out for these behaviors they will then and only then learn about what truly hitting rock bottom feels like, this is what I have learned is he valley of despair and they are heading that way fast, while I've been climbing my way out for a year now.