Makayla
Harvey
Melinda
Schroeder
English
101
09/22/2016
Summarize
“Why We Lie” Article
The Matrix test was a developed
by Dan Ariely to find out exactly how much people are willing to
cheat. The Matrix is a simple test of several numbers on a sheet of
paper. The goal is to match the numbers together in as many pairs as
you can to equal the number 10 in five minutes. Then, for however
many pairs you found, the test coordinator would pay you. At first,
this experiment was done, and it was found that most people averaged
four pairs. Then variations were added such as: the participant
shredding their paper and just reporting how many pairs they got,
having another participant in the same room who was blatantly
cheating, and doing the test in groups. Through the other variations
of the test, it was found that the number of pairs found miraculously
jumped and sometimes even doubled. This supported Dan Ariely's theory
that people are willing to lie a 'little' most of the time.
Ariely's experiment sadly proved
his point that there are few cheaters or liars that will fully and
blatantly lie, but most people will lie or cheat a little when given
the opportunity. “...we had lost only a few hundred dollars to
these big cheaters. At the same time, we had thousands and thousands
of participants who cheated by 'just' a few matrices, but because
there were so many of them, we lost thousands and thousand of dollars
to them.” (Bedford Reader pg. 445) These 'small' dishonest tricks
by so many caused a much greater impact than the few 'big cheats'.
The Matrix test showed the disheartening revelation that the sum of
our 'little fibs' has a much greater effect on our culture than we
realize.
Paraphrase
Paragraph #10
The facts show that most people
cheat by a small measure; therefore, the next step is to ask what
causes people to cheat more or less. (Bedford Reader pg 442)
Important
Quote Point
“But once in a while, a
participant claimed to have solved all 20. Fortunately, we did not
encounter many of these people, and because they seemed to be the
exception and not the rule, we lost only a few hundred dollars to
these big cheaters. At the same time, we had thousands and thousands
of participants who cheated by “just” a few matrices, but because
there were so many of them, we lost thousands and thousands of
dollars to them.” (Bedford Reader pg 445)
Dan
Ariely's quotation, showing the impact of the majority's 'small'
decisions, impacted me the most in this article. This point is so
impactful, and I believe a necessity for society to see. The truth
posed in the article “Why We Lie” is quite disturbing to any
average citizen. It makes the reader question the 100% honesty, or
lack there of, in one's self and others. The traumatizing truth is
that because of citizens moral compromises society pays the toll of
sliding down the slippery slope of cheating. This goes to show that
even our 'small' moral compromises affect more then just the direct
parties involved, but on the large scale can cause issues much larger
then ourselves. This article was an immense reminder on the
importance of always being one hundred percent honest.
Works Cited
Ariely, Dan. "Why We Lie." The Bedford Reader (2014): 440-46. Print.
