Health care, it seems, is not immune to the dishonesty that prevails in many other parts of society, whether it is the polite lie that someone looks good (despite a hospital pallor) or a more serious deception or omission, such as a provider’s financial relationship with a drug or device manufacturer.

What can be done about conflicts of interest? It turns out that disclosure is not always a full remedy. Perhaps seeking a second opinion should be the default, rather than an exception that requires a great deal of effort from a patient.

Find out if punishment is an effective deterrent for bad behavior such as lying or cheating. How do cheaters get their start?

Behavioral economist Dan Ariely has written The Honest Truth about Dishonesty. He will tell us what keeps us honest and how we can apply that understanding to healthcare as well as our everyday lives.

Dan Ariely, PhD, is the James B. Duke Professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University. He has appointments at the Fuqua School of Business, the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, the department of economics and the school of medicine.

His books include Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape our Decisions, The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home, and his latest: The (Honest) Truth about Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone-Especially Ourselves.

He writes a regular column for The Wall Street Journal and is the founder and director of the Center for Advanced Hindsight. His website is www.danariely.com

The photo of Dan Ariely was taken by Aline Grüneisen.

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