HEALTHY LIVING Truth About Liars


People tell falsehoods for a variety of reasons, but it can be a serious condition needing medical treatment. ::


BY CHRIS ILIADES, M.D. G


eorge santos won election to the U.S. Congress after creating an elaborate personal history that


included his education, family history, and experience. Anna Sorokin, 32, convinced


Manhattan elites she was a German heiress and went on to swindle hotels, banks, and acquaintances out of $200,000 cash. California Superior Court Judge


Patrick Couwenberg claimed he was an undercover CIA agent and had a Purple Heart from Vietnam. What these people have in common


is a web of elaborate lies that can be easily discovered. So why do they do it? The concept of extraordinary


lying has been described in medical literature for over 100 years. People who compulsively told


false stories that were too extreme to survive scrutiny, or so abnormal they deserved a special category, were said to be exhibiting a disorder called pseudologia fantastica, mythomania, or morbid lying. Today, most people would call them


pathological liars. “Pathological lying is a widely used


term to cover lying as a mental health disorder,” says Christian L. Hart, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Texas Woman’s University, where he is the director of the Psychological Science Program and the Human Deception Laboratory. “This type of lying can be


unusual, cause distress or danger, be dysfunctional, uncontrollable, and persistent.” Hart literally helped write the book


on pathological lying, along with Drew A. Curtis, Ph.D., Pathological Lying: Theory, Research, and


78 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | APRIL 2023


They lie when they can fi nd a moral justifi cation for their dishonesty.”


— Christian L. Hart, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Texas Woman’s University


Practice, published by the American Psychological Association.


WHY DO NORMAL PEOPLE LIE? “There are three reasons why most people lie,” explains Hart. “They lie because they see some


benefi t from lying. They lie because they believe they can get away with it, so there is little downside. “They lie when they can fi nd a


moral justifi cation for their dishonesty. “Normally, people don’t tell a lot


of lies, one lie per day is typical. More than fi ve is prolifi c. Only about 5% of people are considered big liars,” says Hart. Normal lies are told with


a purpose, to prevent embarrassing yourself


SANTOS


or others, to avoid punishment or disapproval, or to make yourself look better to others. “Common lies often occur in social


interactions. If someone asks you if you like their new haircut, you may say ‘yes’ even if they have a horrible haircut,” says Hart.


ILLUSTRATION/GEORGEPETERS©ISTOCK / SANTOS/WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES


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