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Although many people believe that lying is morally wrong and discourage the practice, almost everyone lies at one time or another, from the neglectful student who claims that the dog ate his homework to politicians who stretch the truth. Some of us do it every day, whether or not we fully realize it. But why do people lie? Because each individual is different, there are many possible answers to this question. Usually, however, people lie in an attempt to control some aspect of their lives.

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One of the most obvious causes of lying is the drive to do whatever it takes to get ahead in life. For example, some people falsify information on their résumés to get a job that requires a skill that they do not really possess, thus stealing the position from a more deserving candidate. Other people may falsely claim expertise in a particular area to impress their boss or to improve their chances of getting a promotion. People may also lie in the form of committing fraud. CBS News reported that in 2010, $17 billion in fraudulent unemployment benefits were paid out to people who were never eligible for them and to formerly unemployed Americans who had gone back to work (“Unemployment”).

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Another cause of lying is fear — the fear of being blamed or punished for a wrongdoing. When people do something that they know is wrong, they may not be able to come to terms with it, or they may be afraid of being condemned for it. Therefore, they may lie to get themselves out of the situation, often transferring the blame to someone else or altogether denying their involvement in the misdeed. A desire to avoid negative consequences of misbehavior causes people to start lying at an early age. Beginning at about age three, children will lie to avoid getting into trouble or to try to get out of it (Jesperson). By age five, most kids are expert liars when it comes to dodging punishment, and they do not grow out of this habit (Jesperson).

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People also lie to improve their own image. A study carried out by psychologist Robert Feldman at the University of Massachusetts revealed that most subjects lie in everyday conversation to appear more competent and more likable to people that they are trying to impress. Feldman found that 60 percent of subjects lied at least once during a ten-minute conversation and told an average of two to three lies (Jesperson). After the conversation was over, participants were asked to view a tape of it and to identify anything they had said that was not entirely accurate (Lloyd). Initially, according to Feldman, subjects said that they thought they were entirely accurate, but after watching themselves on video, they were surprised to discover that they had said something inaccurate about themselves. The lies ranged from pretending to like someone they really disliked to falsely claiming to be the star of a rock band (Lloyd). After publishing the study in the journal Basic and Applied Social Psychology, Feldman reported that people lie almost reflexively. Given our desire to look good to others and to protect our self-worth, such behavior makes sense. As social animals, we want to be liked and respected, and if we cannot achieve admiration through honest means, we may resort to lying.

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Another subgroup is made up of compulsive liars, who seem compelled to lie even though it does them no apparent good or the truth would lead to a better result for them. For example, they may say that they bought an item from one store when they really got it from another. What can possibly be their reason for lying? Paul Ekman, professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, believes that people tell such lies not to get out of trouble but for fun (“Why”). For them, lying is like a drug that provides an adrenalin rush and the feeling of being able to control the person that they are lying to (“Why”). Some individuals seem to lie automatically without meaning to deceive, however. Jerald Jellison, professor of psychology at the University of Southern California, suggests that this phenomenon may have something to do with momentum. If a person gets away with an initial lie, he or she may be inclined to continue lying until it becomes a sort of habit (“Why”).

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Although people lie to benefit themselves, they may also lie to try to protect someone else. A study by Bella DePaulo, a visiting professor in social psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, reveals that although participants in her research told far more lies to benefit themselves in some way, close to one out of every four lies was told to benefit other people (DePaulo). Even the most well-intentioned person may be guilty of telling at least one of these so-called white lies. For example, when friends ask us for an opinion on something and we have a feeling that our true opinion might hurt their feelings, we may tell them what we believe they want to hear instead of being honest. Even as children, we are taught to lie to others. Our parents tell us to say that we like presents that we have been given even when we do not, all for the sake of being polite. And people who say that they want an “honest opinion” about something are usually lying. Most are really looking for confirmation that the choice they have made is good. Although it may be considered wrong to tell people what they want to hear when it could end up doing them harm, we do so anyway to preserve our relationship with them and to keep them happy.

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Even though lying can be seen as breaking a bond of trust, a sort of unspoken agreement to treat others as we would like to be treated, the bottom line is that almost everyone lies. Whether lies come from selfish or unselfish motivations, it seems to be in our nature to tell them.

Works Cited

DePaulo, Bella, et al. “Lying in Everyday Life.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 70.5 (1996): 979–95. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.

Jesperson, Kathy. “Why Do People Lie? The Truth about Motivations for Lying.” Psychology@Suite101. Suite101, 21 Dec. 2009. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.

Lloyd, Robin. “Studies: People Generally Lie to Preserve Self-Esteem.” FoxNews.com. Fox News, 15 May 2006. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.

“Unemployment Payments Fraud Worth $17B per Year.” CBSnews.com. CBS News,3 July 2011. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.

“Why People Lie.” h2g2.com. h2g2, 1 Sept. 2011. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.