Just read an interesting (though unsurprising) report on how being honest is the best medicine for good health and wellbeing.

"We found that the participants could purposefully and dramatically reduce their everyday lies, and that in turn was associated with significantly improved health."

Who would have thought.

A while back I finally figured out that rather than ignoring reality, or sneaking around, being upfront and open is the easiest way to be. It takes far less energy to simply be honest. I've found that it sort of "innoculates" me against other people's negative opinions, for a number of reasons. It's like honesty create this invisible 'shield' that is impervious to onslaught.

Some of the coping strategies, when asked to be honest, include the following:

Among those asked not to lie, the participants explained how they did it. Their responses included realising they could: simply tell the truth rather than exaggerate; stop making false excuses for why they were late or had failed to complete tasks; answer a troubling question with another question; change the topic or be vague; and laugh as if the questions were ridiculous.