Why Do People Lie

Lying is morally wrong and is always discouraged, but, it comes naturally to human beings. It is ironic that deception is considered 'fair in love and war'. There are different types of lies, viz. a white lie, fabrication, a noble lie, a lie-to-children, etc. There are different reasons why people lie; fear being one of the most prominent ones.

Personal Reasons for Lying
Apart from fear, escaping punishment is one of the most obvious reasons why people lie. When a person is aware that he will be punished for his deed, he tends to lie. It is a natural reflexive human reaction to distance oneself from wrongdoings or faults. This is commonly found in children and lying children have a single motive, that is to get out of trouble.

Another common reason for lying is that people want to improve their image in front of others. They constantly wish to portray themselves as good, polite, successful, etc., in short, possessing all positive human qualities. Exaggeration and bluffing are two other types of lies and are methods adopted by people to impress or mislead others.

Though we all know that relationships are based on trust and truthfulness, lovers usually lie to each other or keep secrets. Misleading someone in love is an unforgivable crime; as, if it is found out, it can lead to distrust, misgivings and a broken relationship. Cheating on spouses by lying is a harmful way of deception. People lie in relationships to continue the goodwill and also to impress the partner. There may also be other harmful motives behind deception.

Social Reasons for Lying
People lie in society to look agreeable, to maintain good relations and to avoid disagreement with others. These lies are known as 'white lies'. People tend to lie more when with company. In such a situation, there is no difference between a man lying or a woman lying. People lie in order to protect privacy about oneself as well as others and also to maintain self-worth and self-esteem. Lying is not considered harmful and deceptive if someone lies to refrain from hurting others' feelings.

'Lying by omission' is considered a part and parcel of business, when a salesman purposefully creates a misconception by omitting certain facts. In business, one may need to lie in order to maintain good relations or even to sell products. Lying for a deceptive gain is considered a harmful type of lying. On the other hand, a doctor not telling the truth about his patients' health to avoid affright among his family; or a policeman lying in order to avoid panic is a noble lie.

Compulsive Lying
Some people also suffer from a disorder known as compulsive lying. These people, known as chronic liars, acquire a habit of lying and they tend to lie in any and every situation. Lying comes naturally to them and they find it almost difficult to tell the truth. Compulsive lying is a disorder that develops from early adolescence and one must keep an eye out for signs of compulsive lying. It should also be noted that chronic liars mean no harm and most of the time they do it unintentionally. Compulsive lying results in broken relationships at every level. Compulsive lying can also be an underlying symptom of some other serious disorder and one has to be treated as soon as possible. Therapy and counseling can cure compulsive lying.

Telling a lie as a joke or to fool someone is a harmless type of lie, also known as a jocose lie. Passing on information without complete knowledge is known as gossiping, but, it is also a form of lying. Sometimes, people do not want to accept the fact that they do not know the truth and hence they lie. This is known as 'fabrication'.

There are also certain ways to tell if someone is lying to help keep yourself on guard. Now that you know some of the reasons of lying, I' m sure you won't be baffled anymore with it. One must accept the universal truth that people will continue to lie, whether it is right or wrong.