As doctors, we're trained to be skeptical, because our patients lie to us all the time. The rule is, every patient is a liar until proven honest....Lying is bad. Or so we're told constantly from birth—honesty is the best policy, the truth shall set you free, I chopped down the cherry tree, whatever....The fact is, lying is a necessity....We lie to ourselves because the truth, the truth freaking hurts.

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