Lying is something that we all do or might’ve done in the past. People lie for many different reasons. For instance, it’s to avoid punishment or to protect someone from being punished, and sometimes it’s to avoid embarrassment or to make people think better of us.
People also lie when there is someone in their lives expecting something beyond their abilities. For example, strict parents make it so hard for their kids to meet their expectations. That’s why kids sometimes lie to their parents.
Adults sometimes lie too without even realizing it. They lie to get out of embarrassing situations, or avoid hurting someone’s feelings, and for many other reasons. Here are some examples of the most common lies:
- Saying that everything is okay
- Saying you liked a gift when you didn’t
- Saying you are busy when you are not
- Saying you were late because you were stuck in traffic
- Saying you are on the way when you are still at home
- Saying I’ll call you back
These are all lies that we say spontaneously and we don’t really mean to lie. However, some people lie for a reason and no good reason at all. This is when lying becomes a very bad habit. People who lie all the time for no apparent reason are called pathological liars. To them Lying is more favorable than telling the truth because they gain more from it. And most of the time they don’t gain anything at all!
Pathological liars tend to lie most of the time and create detailed stories about themselves. Stories in which they are heroes and sometimes victims. The main objective of these stories is to gain appreciation and acceptance from people. Some people lie because it’s pathological and sometimes it’s just a habit obtained from routines. Here are some other reasons why people lie:
- They don’t want to disappoint you. Sometimes people lie to impress those whom they care about. They try to create a picture of the perfect person so that they get love and appreciation. Being insecure may lead to this problem, they do not have the confidence to show you their real self, even if their personality is not as bad as they think!
- It’s not a lie to them. In this case, liars are confused between reality and imagination. They tell a lie that they 100% believe. They tell the lie this good and with details because they somehow believe it’s not a lie. Fascinating! No? Facts and information get mixed up in their mind so they are no longer aware of what is wrong and what is right, what is a lie and what is not.
- They wantit to be true.What would a normal person do if he felt he was lacking something? He would probably try to improve himself and work on it better to achieve his goals and dreams. Pathological liars do not do that. If they lack something, they constantly and compulsively lie about its existence as they want it to be true.
- They want to make a good impression. Such people are sometimes just trying to make a good impression on others. They make up things to impress others and gain their favor.
- It’s hard for them to tell the truth. Facing several hardships and obstacles in life makes your soul darker and makes life hard and unbearable. Therefore, people tend to lie about their reality because it’s not what they wanted and wished for. It’s hard for them to open up about it because people will not understand what is happening. In this case, resorting to lying and hiding the truth is much easier.
This habit of constant lying makes people uncomfortable around the liar and pushes them away. Lying and deceiving are capable of damaging relationships and making it harder to make new ones.
At the end of the day, lying is a universal issue. It did not stop and it would not stop till the end of the world. However, we can work on ourselves to be better people. And we should try not to tell a lie even if it’s a white lie. If you found yourself or someone you know lying constantly and out of control, you should seek professional help and it will definitely make a change.
