Social Neuroscience News

"Study Shows Fear of Judgment for Keeping Secrets is Often Exaggerated"

Recent research from UT Austin, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, indicates that people tend to overestimate the negative judgment they will face when revealing secrets. The study, involving 12 experiments, found that recipients of disclosed secrets judged the sharers less harshly than expected, viewing them as more honest and trustworthy. This suggests that fears of judgment may be a barrier to transparency in relationships, and that encouraging more realistic expectations could lead to increased openness and reduced psychological burden associated with keeping secrets.