PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — How many times a week do you tell a lie? Research says Americans lie on average 11 times a week.

Today a new study called the “Science of Honesty” was presented at the American Psychological Association’s Annual Convention. It says telling the truth can significantly improve a person’s mental and physical health.

READ THE STUDY

The research conducted at University of Notre Dame included 110 people who were studied over 10 weeks.

About half the participants were instructed to stop telling major and minor lies for the 10 weeks.

The other half served as a control group that received no special instructions about lying. Both groups came to the laboratory each week to complete health and relationship measures and to take a polygraph test assessing the number of major and white lies they had told that week.

The study found over the course of 10 weeks, the link between less lying and improved health was significantly stronger for participants in the no-lie group.

They experienced fewer physical complaints such as sore throats and headaches.

Additionally those who lied less had fewer mental health problems like feeling tense or melancholy.