Dan Ariely: Is your doctor lying to you?

Health care, it seems, is not immune to the dishonesty that prevails in many other parts of society, whether it is the polite lie that someone looks good (despite a hospital pallor) or a more serious deception or omission, such as a provider’s financial relationship with a drug or device manufacturer.

What can be done about conflicts of interest? It turns out that disclosure is not always a full remedy. Perhaps seeking a second opinion should be the default, rather than an exception that requires a great deal of effort from a patient.

Find out if punishment is an effective deterrent for bad behavior such as lying or cheating. How do cheaters get their start?

Duke Behavioral Economist Dan Ariely has written The Honest Truth about Dishonesty. As a guest on The People’s Pharmacy, he discusses what keeps us honest and how we can apply that understanding to healthcare as well as our everyday lives.

Listen to the show.