Why do we lie?Recently I was discussing this question with a client, and a colleague. Why do we lie? (Let’s be honest, we all do. So it’s not IF we lie, it’s WHY, HOW, WHEN, WHERE, AND TO WHOM 🙂
Some possible reasons:
- We don’t want to hurt the other person (and by telling the absolutely honest brutal truth, we may).
- We don’t feel safe to tell the truth (“Yikes! I might get in trouble if I tell them that!”).
- We don’t even realize we’re lying (Uh oh… Are we even aware of this phenomenon??).
- We don’t know the answer to the question, however we don’t want to lose face by admitting that. So we make something up instead.
- We don’t really want to know the truth — because it may be too much to handle emotionally at the moment.
- We may not feel we have the mental where-with-all to wrap our head around the whole thing.
- We may not feel we have the time to sort out the truth.
- We haven’t taken the time to discover the truth about ourselves, the other person, or the situation.
- It’s easier.
Question: Next time you are painted into a corner and fabricate an inaccurate response, ask yourself: Why did I lie?
I guess the deeper bit of this question is are we developing deep meaningful relationships with others — the kind that require authenticity and honesty? If we opt for the quick lie, rather than address the tougher challenge of sorting it all out and arriving at the honest doggone truth, maybe not….
Dear Readers, If you enjoy my point of view, please check out my just released book, The Wilde Woman’s Guide to Organizing in Five Simple Steps: Using Mindfulness to Change Your Habits or tell a friend about it! Thanks!!