Call it hottie-induced memory loss. The way you tailor your experiences and opinions to match your date's can muddle your ability to recall the truth, says a new study from Texas Christian University.
A few weeks after taking an opinion poll, people tweaked their responses to the same questions when they found out a good-looking person would disagree with their original stances. But after learning the date was fictitious and the whole thing was an experiment, the poll-takers couldn't accurately remember their original answers.
(Keep your mind in tip-top shape with these 27 Ways to Power Up Your Brain.)
When you lie to impress a potential partner, your dishonesty confuses your memory for the truth, explains study coauthor Sara E. Brady, Ph.D. And whether you're exaggerating your high school sports achievements or your love of Shakespeare, the more you lie about it, the more your brain will start to accept that lie as fact, Brady adds. That could come back to bite you when your date finds out you were actually a third-string bench warmer who still confuses Hamlet with Macbeth.
But you can keep yourself out of trouble and seem more appealing to her by sticking with the truth, shows a separate study from the University of Western Ontario. Women rated the same man as better looking and more physically fit when they were told he was honest as opposed to deceitful. You don't want to make her feel like you have nothing in common, but you'll seem more credible -- and more attractive -- if you give her straight answers, the research suggests.
(Laughing can also can show her you're interested. Click here for more secrets on How Nice Guys Can Impress Women.)
More Links:
How to Decode Dishonest Text Messages
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