Keeping a secret often feels like a lie of omission, and that puts a lot of pressure on you mentally. To make it less taxing on yourself, expand your concept of what being honest means.
Photo by Wassim LOUMI.
It might seem dishonest to withhold information from someone, but it doesn’t have to be. After all, they aren’t your beans to spill. Art Markman, PhD, professor of Psychology and Marketing at the University of Texas, explains that you can make revisions to your idea of honesty without compromising your integrity. You can still be you and mean well. What’s important is that you recognise not all secrets are bad, and that holding back information may be more beneficial than you realise. Plus, as Markman points out, keeping secrets often comes at a relatively low cost as long as you don’t drive yourself crazy. Of course, if you want to give yourself more moral cushion when someone tells you a secret, explain to them beforehand that you won’t lie if you’re asked about it. That way you won’t be blurting out the secret, but you won’t be forced to hold back either.
This Is the Secret to Keeping Secrets [Fast Company]
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