The two most common lies in our world are 'I'm fine' and 'You'll be okay'. They are said without harmful intent, and often said in an attempt to placate worries, but still they tell us it is not our place to make another person uncomfortable or to draw too much attention to ourselves.
However, there are other lies that can create harm, leading to distress. These types of lies can include making false reports, denying something occurred, or creating a fabrication that isnt based on anything real.
Ten Lies and Ten Truths is a compilation of intriguing short stories, each exploring one of the foundational lies in American life today. The subjects include marriage, abortion, character, relative truth and macro-evolution.
Studies reveal that some toddlers begin lying before they are two and a half years old. And by the age of four, more than 70% of children lie — at least sometimes.
Lies of Fabrication.
Fabrication is typically the most difficult type of lie for an individual to tell; the dishonest person needs to make up their “facts” as they are telling them, which of course makes it harder to remember later.
For example, don't say, "I can speak 22 languages." This statement is clearly a lie (unless you're a famous polyglot!). Rather, say, "I can speak three languages fluently." This statement is just plausible enough to make people doubt whether you're telling the truth or not.
There is the red lie, which is a lie one tells to hurt another person or get even.
Some researchers estimate that the average person tells around 1-2 lies per day. However, other studies have found much higher numbers - some suggest that people tell closer to 10-15 lies per day on average.
Many deemed it acceptable to lie to people who were emotionally fragile, near death, or would be confused by the truth. They also found it more ethical to lie when doing so would help others save face in public or concentrate on something important.
Dishonest people usually cling to the lack of memory by saying, “I don't know what I did.” Here the questioner's response should be, “If you don't know what you did, it is possible that you did exactly what I described.” Deceptive people make no attempt to retrieve a memory of an action for fear of revealing the truth.
Teens lie compulsively as a way to control what their parents know about their lives. In addition, they may develop a habit of lying as a way to cover up dangerous behavior, such as substance abuse or self-harm. In addition, teens may compulsively lie in order to create a false image of who they are.
There's no evidence to suggest that people living with ADHD lie more often than those who don't have the condition. But there are many situations in which someone with ADHD might lie as a coping mechanism, to cover up an impulsive behavior that wasn't thought through, or without even realizing it.
If you're searching for a great icebreaker game for a group of friends or colleagues, Two Truths and a Lie is a fun way to get to know one another. In this game, everybody takes a turn saying three statements out loud. Two of them must be facts about yourself, or truths, and the third should be a believable lie.
Playful comments that acknowledge the lie will usually do the trick. Whether it's “Hey, I think I just saw your nose grow a little bit” or “I need to get my prescription checked. When I looked at the scorecard, it said you shot 112,” this strategy gives the liar a chance to admit their slip-up without fear of reprisal.
How to play: Provide each person with two slips of paper and a pen or pencil. On one sheet of paper, instruct everyone to write down four statements about themselves. Three of the statements should be true and one of them should be false. Allow everyone about five minutes to come up with four good statements.
The three most commonly referred to are lies of commission, lies of omission, and lies of influence, aka character lies.