Lies and the reasons people cant control themselfs not to do so

[dragoon]

Why do people lie even though they know it is wrong. When you lie you sort of have a battle of emotions with your brain and heart but in most cases people lie consistently... what causes you to choose your bad side?

[fafalone]

No definate answer, but my theory is lying is typically a simpler way out of something, and the natural tendency of an organism is to accomplish something in the simplest way possible.

[dragoon]

Is there something that effects the brain to make this happen? If a child is born and completely put off and alone in his own world where he met no other beings. When let out into the world and asked a question he could never know the answer too but has come up with a multitude of ideas for the question on his own.... would he lie and tell why or would he express he does not know and then explain his thoughts and feelings on the topic?

[fafalone]

It's just evolutionary logic... simpler means less energy, the slightly more available energy begins to increase over large period of time.

[aman]

Except for a few very exceptional children, studies I've seen on PBS have shown that most very young children will lie because of a number of incentives. The same incentives can also make them tell the truth. They blindly follow the incentive.

Almost all individuals reach a conscious point where both positive and negative incentives become apparent and then the choice is finally a conscious choice. From there on, it is testimony to the character of the individual whether the decision to lie or be truthfull happens.

I do believe some pathological liars may not be responsible but just might be sick.

Just aman

[Guest Unregistered]

<A HREF=" http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/sep2001/1001904852.Zo.r.html" target=new > Are we,homo sapiens,the only animal that lies? </A>

<A HREF=" http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_094b.html " target=new > Is there really such a thing as a pathological liar? </A>