Why Do People Lie?

Whether you're a judge, a caring wife, or a concerned parent, lying is one of the most common things done by individuals in society. Lying does not only take place within families, but between governments; businesses to customers; and others. Even though lying is generally thought of as a bad thing, can it be a good thing? Whatever the case, where does lying come from and why do we do it? In this article, the main reasons on why people lie are going to be revealed.



As a Joke

Many times individuals lie to tell jokes. Does that make it a good thing? Maybe not, but I guess it will depend on the person. If it is perhaps Halloween, and a group of kids are planning a scare, one of them might lie to get an individual trapped into their prank. Even in simple sarcastic conversations one may tell a lie, but was only being sarcastic with actually no intention of harming or deceiving the person. In either case, this form of lying, as a joke, is one of the reasons why people lie.



To Escape Punishment

Another reason why people lie is to escape punishment. If a child knows that he's done something wrong and is afraid he is going to get punished for it, the natural reaction of a human is to lie to prevent it. However, many times that just makes it worse, and so in some cases people know to tell the truth up front to avoid getting caught in a lie later. On the other hand, those that do tell a lie are simply doing so as a risk to avoid punishment.



Deceptive Gain

This is form of lying is probably the most harmful. In many cases, this form of lying is no different than taking another's belongings or life, but many still seem to do it regardless of the outcomes. Why do people do it? Well, that question can be debated. Many couples do this to cheat on their spouse. Many thieves do this to steal others' belongs. Many individuals do this to control the minds of people to get them to do what they want to do. Whatever the reason of this deceptive form of lying, most people do it as a form of deceptive gain.



Confused Mind

The final reason why people lie is when individuals don't know the truth. Perhaps the person is taught something, and it is passed on to the next. It may be a lie, but the person still believes it. So if they really believe it, then are they lying? They aren't lying intentionally, but are still doing so because of not telling the truth. With this form of lying, the reason why people do this is mainly because of blind believing, or fear. Many times (although unintentional) it can be just as problematic as to that which is done for deceptive gain.

Those are the 4 main reasons why people lie. Is there a way to stop people from lying? Are all of them bad? Well, that depends on whom you ask. Whether it is a good or bad, can or cannot be prevented, the main reasons are revealed.


when u are lying, which one are u?