It is a known fact that almost all people in this world lie, at some or other point of time in their life. Do you know why? Explore this article to explore the top reasons why people lie.

Why People Lie

Why do people lie? What inspires or provokes them to lie? Why do most people lie without reason? People might be compelled to lie, depending on the circumstances prevailing at that moment or situation, or have made it a habit to lie, to keep the others misguided or for some other similar reason. Mostly, people lie to protect their personal interests, while some lie to deceive others and some are just addicted to lying. Also, the lack of courage, lack of problem-solving skills and lack of ability to properly handle the unexpected events can provoke a person to lie, in order to escape the adverse situation, rather than face it head-on. Telling a lies forms the combination of being unable to face the results of honesty and lack of proper values. Read through the following lines to know the various reasons why people lie.
 
Top Reasons Why People Lie
 
General Reasons
 
To Get Benefit
Most people lie to benefit or protect themselves in one or the other way. Individuals can often be found lying about their qualifications to get a job or exaggerate their characteristics to make new friends. Political candidates can be seen lying about their intentions to bring reforms, in order to get votes. Children lie to avoid being punished or in the hope of receiving a reward.
 
To Avoid Uncomfortable/ Personal Questions
When people are forced to answer uncomfortable or personal questions, they take the route to lying. They lie to obtain the acceptance of others by telling them what they want to hear. You can also find people lying to manipulate or control others by turning people against each other.
 
To Avoid Problems In Relationships
People lie frequently to avoid problems within their relationships. Disclosing unflattering or uncomfortable truths can diminish the trust and confidence that others have in you. Telling one lie leads to another lie, resulting in a chain of lies, thus allowing the lie to get lost somewhere along the way.
 
To Protect Others’ Feelings
People also lie to protect the feelings of others. One such example could be appreciating the host of a party about the food being good, when it was actually terrible. People also keep upsetting information from their friends, to make the latter feel good. This implies, people do not always lie out of malice. They do so to protect the feelings of others, who can get upset or hurt on learning the truth.
 
Reasons Based On The Type Of Lie
There are different types of lies in this world, with white lies, bold-faced lies and lies of omission being the most popular.
  • White lies are often harmless and insignificant. They are told by people to hide a secret or prevent someone from knowing something prematurely, for example, a surprise party.
  • Bold-faced lies are outright denials of the truth, despite evidence proving otherwise. People lie bold-faced when the consequences of telling the truth can be disastrous, such as being arrested.
  • Lies of omission occur when a person is made to believe a falsehood by withholding important facts. People make lies of omission by avoiding to confess that they did something for which someone else is taking the blame.

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