Which statement regarding detecting deception in intimate relationships is true?

Which statement regarding detecting deception in intimate relationships is true?

• A. We are better able to detect lies in people we like because we are motivated to do so.
• B. Lie detection in casual and intimate relationships is the same.
• C. As our relationships become more intimate, lie detection decreases.
• D. As relationships become more intimate, we get better at detecting our partners' lies.

Answer: (A)

When people care about a relationship, motivation becomes a powerful driver of how carefully we evaluate what our partner says. We like them, we want to protect the relationship, and that makes us more inclined to scrutinize statements, notice inconsistencies, and read subtle cues more closely. That increased attention can improve our accuracy in detecting deception compared with interactions with someone we’re less invested in. In other words, liking someone and wanting to keep the relationship trustworthy motivates us to do a better job of spotting lies. It’s important to keep in mind that even with that motivation, detection isn’t perfect—our judgments can still be biased or hacked by optimism, fear, or ambiguity in cues. The other statements drift from this idea: the level of deception detection isn’t simply the same across casual and intimate relationships, nor does intimacy always guarantee better detection in a straightforward way, though motivation in the context of a valued relationship often enhances our monitoring.

When people care about a relationship, motivation becomes a powerful driver of how carefully we evaluate what our partner says. We like them, we want to protect the relationship, and that makes us more inclined to scrutinize statements, notice inconsistencies, and read subtle cues more closely. That increased attention can improve our accuracy in detecting deception compared with interactions with someone we’re less invested in. In other words, liking someone and wanting to keep the relationship trustworthy motivates us to do a better job of spotting lies.

It’s important to keep in mind that even with that motivation, detection isn’t perfect—our judgments can still be biased or hacked by optimism, fear, or ambiguity in cues. The other statements drift from this idea: the level of deception detection isn’t simply the same across casual and intimate relationships, nor does intimacy always guarantee better detection in a straightforward way, though motivation in the context of a valued relationship often enhances our monitoring.