De Relatie Tussen Geheimen, de Illusie van Transparantie, Relatiekwaliteit en Ervaren Stress

Abstract

Building on earlier findings on the existence of an illusion of transparency, this research investigates whether the illusion of transparency appears when a secret is being held. Furthermore, the current research investigates whether the illusion of transparency is more pronounced when a secret is being held between two friends versus two strangers and how much stress the secret keeper experiences while holding a secret. Using the game Weerwolven , 65 participants had to keep their assigned character hidden for their partner and rated their experienced stress, the quality of the relation with the other person in the dyade and feelings of transparency. The main result from this research is that there is no general illusion of transparency while holding a secret and there’s no significant elevated stress level. However, more perceived closeness to the dyadic partner and higher relationship quality were linked to higher feelings of transparency. Future research should focus on a more personal secret and use physiological stress measurements.