Conscious introspection leads to more self-deception?
The article discusses the relationship between conscious introspection and self-deception. It suggests that individuals may be more prone to lying to themselves when engaging in internal monologue. This phenomenon is particularly evident when there is a conflict between one's true feelings and the desired feelings.
- ▪Conscious introspection may lead to increased self-deception.
- ▪People are more likely to lie to themselves during internal monologue.
- ▪This tendency is heightened when there is a divergence between actual feelings and desired feelings.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Conscious introspection leads to more self-deception? by Tyler Cowen May 20, 2026 at 1:40 pm in Philosophy It seems, then, that we need another signal that can add precision to our introspection. And that signal is as follows: we are more likely to be lying to ourselves when we are engaging in internal monologue. An internal monologue is the experience of having concrete, “narration-style” thoughts as opposed to passive experiences. This argument maybe doesn’t apply to people with a constant internal monologue, or those who have none. But it seems like most people’s internal lives are some combination of subconscious thought and active monologue: most of our day-to-day moments are spent instinctively receiving and reacting to external stimuli, but in certain moments — e.g.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Marginal Revolution.
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