Honesty really is the best policy, according to a new study presented to the American Psychological Association over the weekend.

Researchers found that people who are honest tend to be healthier.

For 10 weeks, 110 individuals ages 18-71 took a lie detector test each week to assess their health and relationships.

The study revealed a "significant" link between lying less and improved health.

"When they went up in their lies, their health went down. When their lies went down, their health improved," explained lead author Anita Kelly, a psychology professor at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

The research is consistent with other studies.

"When you find that you don't lie, you have less stress," said Linda Stroh, a professor emeritus of organizational behavior who has conducted her own research on the matter.

"Being very conflicted adds an inordinate amount of stress to your life," she added.

In the recent study, half the participants were told to "refrain from telling any lies for any reason to anyone. You may omit truths, refuse to answer questions, and keep secrets, but you cannot say anything that you know to be false."

The other half were not given any instructions.