Self Denial

I was fascinated last weekend by a show on NPR. I thought for a while that I was listening to This American Life, but as it turns out I was actually listing to a show called Radiolab. It was all about lying - why we do it, what makes some people lie more than others, how to spot a liar and (what I found most fascinating) the segment on self denial, the act of lying to yourself.

One of the conclusions that one of the studies on self denial came to was that people who lie to themselves were more successful and happier than people who didn't. That perhaps self denial was part of a healthy coping mechanism. I typically try to live an authentic life and be open and honest about what I think and what I experience. This week however I've been thinking that perhaps a healthy dose of self denial could do me good. And by healthy I don't mean big, I mean healthy.

You can click here to link to the website for this particular episode of the show.