The Secret Life of Secrets

This was an interesting book to listen to. Michael Slepian talks about several studies done on the psychology of secrets, why we keep secrets, when, how, the effects on our mental and physical health, and the fact that we all keep secrets, sometimes small ones, but we all do! He also talks about children and how/when they learn to lie and keep secrets–that was particularly interesting.

He also talks about positive and negative secrets, and how the purpose of secrets will make them easier or harder to keep. He explains the difference between sharing a secret (i.e., spilling the beans) and confiding in someone, and how that can help us feel less burdened by the secret. Also, the stress of keeping a secret is less harmful to us than the rumination we can do about it!

What made me laugh was that at the beginning, I thought « oh, I don’t really have that many secrets, » but when the author enumerated a list of the 40 most common secrets, I realized how many secrets I am actually keeping without realizing it (I shared some there)! I also enjoyed learning about secrets across different cultures, big cities versus isolated areas, etc. I found that part of the book the most interesting one.

It was not the best book I ever read, but it was interesting and easy to listen to, and I did learn a few things (about the world, people, and myself).