The Value of Self-Deception: How Conflict in Action Selection May Shape Human Beliefs and Behavior
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Human decision-making often involves conflict between different processes involved in guiding behavior. Here we develop a formal account of how self-deception could arise as a byproduct of such conflict. The core idea is that when a process’s preferred action is rejected due to conflict with competing processes, it may still influence choices by promoting attentional biases that shift decisions toward its preferred action. We use three proof-of-principle simulations to derive the consequences of this architecture. The simulations show that, under specified conditions, agents can learn to value attentional bias, maintain uncertainty when it makes bias effective, and devalue bias when it is unsustainable. We then outline the qualitative predictions of the model for human behavior, including biased belief formation, self-handicapping, procrastination, and depressive and bipolar-like conditions. We conclude by comparing these predictions with those of existing theories and discussing implications for psychological research and clinical practice. This framework offers new theoretical insights into the adaptive and maladaptive functions of self-deception, suggesting it as a key organizing construct for understanding a range of everyday and pathological human behaviors.
Source: PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints)
Authors: Boaz Rosenberg, Eran Eldar
Language: English
Subfield: General Decision Sciences
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7167516001