Remember The Lies Your Parents Told You As A Kid?
The results of a recent study published in the International Journal of Psychology showed that Chinese parents lie to their children more than American parents do! The study by Gail Heyman of the University of California-San Diego examined the lying patterns of 114 American parents and 85 Chinese parents who had at least 1 child 3 years or older. See what they found!
By Melody Oei — 29 May 2013, 01:26 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
What do studies say about Chinese parents?
Chinese parents go beyond wild exaggerations to blatant manipulative fabrications designed to get kids to do what they (the parents) want. Also know that for grown-ups, "lying" to either save or give face is not viewed as a lie.
forbes.comAccording to a new study published in the International Journal of Psychology, 98 percent of Chinese parents admit to telling their children lies.
forbes.comIt was noted that more parents in China approved of instrumental lying than did parents in the U.S., while the reverse was true of lies about fantasy characters, such as Santa Claus.
61% percent of the Chinese parents said they would tell their children, “Finish all your food or you’ll grow up to be short.” Just 10 percent of American parents utilized that particular little white lie.
nbcnews.com
68% of Chinese parents reported having told the lie about being kidnapped, but only 18 percent of American parents did, according to the study.
forbes.comWhat do Chinese parents lie to their children about?
“If you don’t follow me, a kidnapper will come to kidnap you while I’m gone.”
nbcnews.com
"Finish all your food or you'll grow up to be short."
forbes.com"If you don't have behave, I will call the police."
forbes.comWhat do American parents lie to their kids about in comparison?
88% of American respondents said they had used the lie, “Santa Claus will come to deliver your present on Christmas Eve.”
nbcnews.com
60% of American parents would tell their kids "That was beautiful piano playing," when it was in fact truly awful.
theatlantic.com
American parents reported using more of what the study calls comparison lies - untrue statements intended to generate positive feeling or to promote fantasy characters.
nbcnews.com
Why do Chinese parents lie to their kids more than American parents do?
NBC News says study results "could be interpreted to mean that Chinese parents are more comfortable lying in general, but the study’s authors said that Chinese parents 'made more negative evaluations of children’s lies.'"
nbcnews.com
Amy Chua, a professor at Yale Law School says, "In China, children are expected to show much greater compliance with the expectations of their parents, and Chinese parents may go to greater lengths to make this happen."
theatlantic.com
According to Forbes, from a Chinese perspective, “lying” to either save or give face is not viewed as a lie.
forbes.comFood for thought
These findings suggest parents should choose their battles wisely: is it really that important for them to finish all their peas?
sciencedaily.comAlternative ways to encourage children to behave - such as a system of rewards - might have less risk of confusing them with conflicting ideas about honesty.
This study shows the need to stimulate debate about the acceptability of lying under different circumstances, and how children should be best raised to understand the value of honesty.
kevinmd.com