Why do people lie might seem to be a simple question, but the motive behind lying is not that simple and reveals a lot of hidden thoughts. There may be several reasons that may lead to lying and deviating from the idea of honesty being the best policy.
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Some Of The Most Common Reasons Behind Telling A Lie Can Be:
- Avoid being punished for a wrong deed that you might have committed by mistake or purposefully. You tend to lie if you are scared of being penalized for your actions.Â
- To claim a reward that you might not achieve otherwise. Kids, for instance, lie about completing a task to get a small prize.
- To protect someone else from being punished. This is very common between friends, co-workers, and family members.
- Your small white lies might help you create a story for yourself to win the admiration of people around you. You might add up some bits and pieces to portray yourself as the best.
- You might like to get out of an awkward situation where saying a ‘no’ was not a possibility.
- At times you speak a lie to avoid embarrassments in public.
- Another motive to lie is at times maintaining privacy and not letting people know the reality. You lie to hide specific facts.Â
We all have lied at some point in time or have been lied to. There are many signs to watch for, and you can get to know if the person is lying to you:
Body Language
Usually, a person who, while speaking to you, is fidgeting or fiddling with hair is because they are not telling the truth. If this is not their normal behavior, then you get a quick signal that the person has lied to you.
Eye Contact And Facial Expressions
A person who is lying will typically not create direct eye contact with the audience. They will look down or place a barrier in between to avoid any eye contact.
Speaking Contradictory Things
If the speaker is saying certain things that contradict his own words, they manipulate the truth.
Change In Pitch
Whenever a person is telling a lie, his/her pitch and tone of voice would not be typical. It is either higher or lower than the normal one.
Avoid Details About Facts
Usually, people who lie would avoid getting into the details because they fear getting caught. So they leave out the details and mention just the macro points.
Pause In Between Speech
Liars would usually hesitate while speaking. They would stop in between, clear their throat, breathe heavily, or overthink while conversing with you.
