How and when did we start lying
The use of lies is not exclusive to adults, but it begins during childhood. In general terms, children understand the facts that happen around them by interacting with their surroundings. In this article we will let you know interestingly why do we lie??
Faced with situations that raise a certain difficulty, the resource of lying is generally used to achieve a goal that is difficult to achieve if one alludes to the truth. At the root of this, faced with the question of when we started to lie, we can refer to the moment when, during childhood , we started to bond with our closest environment.
After a while, this quality can be transferred to the school environment, since there it is understood that changing the facts can represent a benefit. If this type of thinking continues, the lying behavior can settle into adulthood . However, this description is generalized and does not take into account the particularities of each person. For this reason, it is convenient to pinpoint the purpose of lying in a human being.
What makes people lie?
Why do we lie? In addition to the fact that lying can manifest itself in different ways in each person, what is certain is that it responds to specific objectives according to the situation in which it occurs. At the root of this, below, we will expose the main reasons for lying:
- Sense of belonging : the idea of changing speech or actions may be oriented towards being part of a particular place or group. In some cases, people look for a place that provides them with an identity. For this reason, lying is a resource that is generally used in these cases.
- Pursuit of a benefit : people who lie to get a benefit for their lives. Sometimes human beings find it necessary to appeal to a lie instead of responding with the truth.
- Mistrust for people : those who feel a lack of security and uncertainty about others, lie to protect themselves from possible harm and dangers in the social environment.
- Fear of rejection : people afraid of being rejected, both for physical qualities and personality, can use lies. Indeed, we lie to feel accepted by society.
- Family norms : members of the family environment are the main reference that a person has while growing up. If people lie habitually in their immediate surroundings, there are many possibilities that the person will adopt lying as a behavior pattern.
- Low self-esteem : lack of self-esteem and insecurities can make someone lie to prevent other people from realizing how they really are. Find out how to overcome emotional insecurity in this article.
- Avoidance of punishment : when someone performs an action for which they know they should be punished, it is possible that they resort to a lie to avoid the consequence.
- Mental disorders : in specific cases, the use of lies may correspond to the presence of a mental disorder. However, the diagnosis must be made by a mental health professional who assesses each person’s clinical conditions.
Examples of the most common lies
To better understand why we lie, it is necessary to mention in which concrete situations this resource is most used. Here are some examples of the most common lies people have:
- Missed an exam : a student who missed an exam at school. To avoid the punishment given by your parents, you could say that you got a high grade.
- Being unfaithful : a man was unfaithful with his wife, because he has a lover, however he decides not to reveal this information with his partner so that she does not suffer this love disappointment.
- Lying about one’s abilities : when a person says they know how to do something, like swimming or wrestling, but they really don’t. In this case, people lie to look good in front of others.