Natural-Born Liars — Why do we lie, and why are we so good at it? Because it works
Deception runs like a red thread throughout all of human history. It sustains literature, from Homer’s wily Odysseus to the biggest pop novels of today. Go to a movie, and odds are that the plot will revolve around deceit in some shape or form. Perhaps we find such stories so enthralling because lying pervades human life. Lying is a skill that wells up from deep within us, and we use it with abandon. As the great American observer Mark Twain wrote more than a century ago: “Everybody lies … every day, every hour, awake, asleep, in his dreams, in his joy, in his mourning. If he keeps his tongue still his hands, his feet, his eyes, his attitude will convey deception.” Deceit is fundamental to the human condition.
Research supports Twain’s conviction. One good example was a study conducted in 2002 by psychologist Robert S. Feldman of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Feldman secretly videotaped students who were asked to talk with a stranger. He later had the students analyze their tapes and tally the number of lies they had told. A whopping 60 percent admitted to lying at least once during 10 minutes of conversation, and the group averaged 2.9 untruths in that time period. The transgressions ranged from intentional exaggeration to flat-out fibs. Interestingly, men and women lied with equal frequency; however, Feldman found that women were more likely to lie to make the stranger feel good, whereas men lied most often to make themselves look better.
(3 votes, average: 3.33 out of 5)
Loading ...You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
6 Comments to
“Natural-Born Liars — Why do we lie, and why are we so good at it? Because it works”
I did like what Twain wrote about lies. So deception makes the world go round?
And here i thought it was desire. That is what causes us to decieve.
So?
People decieve in order to obtain that which they desire?
I think we lie for many different reasons, sometimes creating our own version of the truth is eaiser than dealing with acutal truth. We lie to hurt and heal either way lying gets you no were because sooner or later the truth is going to come out. I think some people are good at lying because they use what they know about you to decive you; natural born liers are very good at creating a lie that fits you.
I agree i feel as people will lie to protect themselves and also to make others accept them. Sometimes we humans are so keyed in on something that we will do or say anything to be apart of it. Deception is a way of life and therefore we just need to get use to the fact that everyone lies self-conciously
I dont put a lot thought into why people lie. We are what we do and if we lie, we are liars and each one of us is responsibe for what comes out of our mouths. The excuses need to stop and peope need to be held accountable for what they do!
Although lying to others may seem to “work”, I find it fascinating how much we lie to ourselves. We end up being both the deceiver and the deceived! I have written more about this at http://spiritualinquiry.com/articles/why-do-we-lie-to-ourselves/
Join the Conversation! Post a Comment:
Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 26 May 2005
