During the month of September, we will be discussing the character trait of honesty.
An honest person is truthful, sincere, and fair. And an honest person will also possess the character traits of good judgement, courage, and responsibility.
Did you know that being honest is likely good for your health?! Anita Kelly and Lijuan Wang, both professors of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame, did a study with 72 healthy adults broken into two groups. One group (the Sincerity group) was given the following instructions:
“Throughout every day of the next 5 weeks, you must speak honestly, truthfully, and sincerely—not only about the big things, but also about the small things, such as why you were late. You must always mean what you say in situations where your statements are to be taken seriously, as opposed to when joking or obviously exaggerating. While you certainly can choose not to answer questions, you must always mean what you say.”
According to Kelly, the Sincerity group reported significantly fewer physical health complaints than the Control group during the 5th and final week of the study. Specifically, they had experienced an average of 7 fewer symptoms such as sore throats, headaches, and nausea that week.”
She concludes by saying, “It might not be easy to always mean what you say. You might find that you have to go back and correct some of the things that pop out of your mouth. But don’t let that discourage you. Being sincere is a process and you will get there with practice. And when you do, you will see that you are becoming more humble, more open to learning, and less sensitive to rejection. Being sincere brings you closer to the decent people you know, pushes away the naysayers, and allows you to feel a certain hopefulness about the world. To the extent that you experience these, I believe you too will have profound health benefits.”
If you’d like to encourage honesty at home, it is important to model it. Take time to explain the meaning of honesty. Share your own experiences with your children. Let them know that you aren’t perfect, but explain a time when it was difficult for you to tell the truth and how honesty helped you. Remind students that there are consequences of dishonesty, such as losing the trust and respect of others, and oftentimes it will result in embarrassment or punishment.
This month Mrs. Ross will read “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” by B.G. Hennessy to grades K-1, “Finders Keepers? A Bus Trip in India” by Robert Arnett, to grades 2-3, and “Rumor Has It “by Juila Cook to grades4-5.
