Behind The Mic With Joe Mathieu: Study Finds People Less Honest In The Afternoon

BOSTON (CBS) - I won't be sharing this story with the afternoon shift.

Maybe you shouldn't either.

But a new study by psychologists at Harvard University finds people are more likely to lie or cheat during the afternoon.

They came to this odd conclusion by holding two experiments with different groups of volunteers.

The people were given scenarios in which they could benefit from cheating. The Telegraph reports those who were tested in the later part of the day were found to be far less honest than those in the morning.

Researchers say it has a lot to do with the way you feel later in the day. In my case that's mid-afternoon when I start nodding off.

I'm talking about fatigue and the way it diminishes our self control. Makes us do things we wouldn't do in the morning, especially after repeatedly making decisions all day.

Now there's one caveat here.

Researchers also found a certain breed of truly dishonest people, able to "morally disengage" without feeling guilty. They were prone to lie or cheat at any time of day.

But they must work in some other office.

Follow Joe on Twitter @joemathieuwbz

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