It's Easier to Lie and Swear in Foreign Language. Here is Scientific Proof

illustration: DALL-E

As part of his doctoral project, Rafał Muda, PhD from the Institute of Psychology at the University of Wrocław in Poland, investigated how our decisions are influenced by the fact that we make them based on information provided in a foreign language learned, for example, at school; to what extent these decisions will be different than if we had to decide by analysing the situation presented in our native language. He presented the results in four papers published in scientific journals, including Cognition and the Journal of Experimental Psychology.

– The subject of my work fits into an area that is both intriguing to psychologists and close to each of us: how people make everyday decisions and how factors such as emotions, cognitive abilities or the language we use shape the perception of reality – Muda says.

He emphasises that the answers to these questions are of great importance in the age of globalisation, where we make decisions in multilingual contexts every day.

– Intuitively, we would say that it is not importat in which language we make decisions, because theoretically they should be the same every time. After all, they are a manifestation of our preferences, values, what we like. However, research shows that in some cases it is different – says the psychologist from the University of Wrocław.

Previous studies have shown that when we communicate in a foreign language, expressions and situations that are naturally highly charged with emotions begin to be perceived as less stimulating.
– The expression: Je t`adore, although the meaning is the same, will resonate differently emotionally than when you say: I love you. Similarly, it is easier to swear or lie in a foreign language – Muda explains.

Other studies also show - he adds - that it is easier to talk about difficult, traumatic experiences in a foreign language, which can be used in therapy.


– My research has shown that making decisions in a foreign language not only changes the intensity of emotions, but also affects our ability to analyse problems and choose solutions. The results show that using a foreign language affects the decisions in a selective way, changing our emotional and cognitive reactions depending on the context – the researcher describes.

For example, in moral dilemmas, people analysing a task presented in a foreign language paid less attention to social norms and the consequences of their actions. In one task, the subjects were asked to solve a well-known thought experiment known as the trolley dilemma, in which a trolley car is rushing down the tracks, and there are five people tied to the tracks in its path; the observer can move the switch and direct the trolley to another track, where only one person is tied. As it turned out, when solving tasks in a foreign language, the subjects had weakened emotional reactions and attached less importance to harming others.

In risky decisions, using a foreign language did not always change the decisions, showing that this effect does not work universally. The results of the study did not show differences in the willingness of participants to gamble, in the perceived probability of winning or in the excitement of a risky game between people making decisions based on data in a foreign and native language.

In the case of logical reasoning, the accuracy of thinking was lower in a foreign language than in the subjects` native language. According to the researcher, this indicates that using a foreign language can increase cognitive load, which weakens the ability to analyse complex problems.

– In a dynamic world where intercultural interactions are an everyday occurrence, understanding how language affects decisions in contexts such as business negotiations, politics or the justice system can lead to building a more conscious and effective dialogue between people – the psychologist emphasises.

The research opens the door to applications in real-world situations, such as education or designing language interfaces in multicultural contexts.

While previous studies have suggested that decisions made based on data in a foreign language are less emotional, among other things, there was no solid empirical evidence to confirm these theories. Rafał Muda`s research is the first attempt to comprehensively test the mechanisms behind this phenomenon.

– I used unique experimental techniques that allowed me to separate different processes - emotional and cognitive ones - to examine exactly what drives our decisions. An example is manipulating scenarios to induce different levels of moral motivations – the researcher describes.

source: PAP Nauka w Polsce