Which principle of verbal behavior is associated with causing the most anxiety?

Which principle of verbal behavior is associated with causing the most anxiety?

• A. Evasion
• B. Deception
• C. Omission
• D. Truth

Answer: (B)

Deception tends to generate the most anxiety in verbal behavior because lying requires you to maintain a false statement and constantly monitor for contradictions or the possibility of being exposed. The mental load of fabricating details, keeping track of what was said, and fearing discovery creates ongoing stress and arousal. Truth, by contrast, aligns with reality and reduces the fear of being caught, so it generally carries less anxiety. Evasion and omission can be stressful too, but they don’t carry the same sustained risk and cognitive load as maintaining a lie, which is why deception is associated with the highest anxiety.

Deception tends to generate the most anxiety in verbal behavior because lying requires you to maintain a false statement and constantly monitor for contradictions or the possibility of being exposed. The mental load of fabricating details, keeping track of what was said, and fearing discovery creates ongoing stress and arousal. Truth, by contrast, aligns with reality and reduces the fear of being caught, so it generally carries less anxiety. Evasion and omission can be stressful too, but they don’t carry the same sustained risk and cognitive load as maintaining a lie, which is why deception is associated with the highest anxiety.