overlapping symptoms. These people have no empathy, will try to use and manipulate others, and have no moral compass or boundaries. These people are dangerous and


are prone to violence and criminal activity.


HOW TO TELL WHEN SOMEONE IS LYING


SOROKIN


DARKER LIES There is a gray zone between normal lying and pathological lying. This type of lying is sometimes called habitual lying. It becomes a long-term trait, not a sudden impulse. It is also called dishonesty. Dishonest lying includes lying for fi nancial gain or cheating to get ahead. In some professions it pays to be dishonest. “If you are in sales and have a bad product to sell, you have a strong incentive to lie,” says Hart. When telling lies or being dishonest aff ects a person’s work, fi nances, or relationships, or leads to legal problems, darker lies start to become pathological. When lying becomes a habit,


people can get trapped in their own lies and may not be able to stop lying even if they want to.


TRUE PATHOLOGICAL LIARS “Although pathological lying is a mental health disorder, it does not appear as a stand-alone disease in the American Psychiatric Association guidebook, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5),” says Hart. Instead, pathological lying is


listed under personality disorders, including antisocial and narcissistic personalities. Narcissists lie to get constant


attention and approval and to maintain their ego-boosted view of themselves. Their own gratifi cation is more important than concerns about lying.


COUWENBERG People with antisocial personality


disorder are also called sociopaths. These people lie for profi t, power, or even just for pleasure. They lie without any sense of guilt or responsibility. A subset of pathological liars are


people who lie about being sick or ill to get attention, called Munchausen syndrome, a type of pseudologia fantastica. There is a variation of Munchausen


called Munchausen syndrome by proxy, in which people create illness in others to get sympathy and attention as a caregiver. “People with pseudologia fantastica


tell pointless lies to get attention,” says Hart. “They may tell lies about being


heroic or being victimized or abused. Often their lies are fantastical to the point that no reasonable person would believe them.” But their lies can be dangerous to


themselves or others, especially if they accuse others of abuse or attain money or position through false claims. People who are pathological liars


may be aware of their lies but unable or unwilling to control them.


THE DARKEST OF PATHOLOGICAL LIARS


“This person has personality traits of three dangerous types. One is called Machiavellian, which means the end justifi es any means. People are just pawns for this person. The other types are the cold and callous psychopath and the narcissist,” says Hart. These three personalities have


You may have heard that you can tell when someone is lying from cues like hesitations in speech, changes in cadence or pitch in voice, body position, fi dgeting, or lack of eye contact, but there is very little research that shows people can detect lies. Hart and other researchers have


been trying to fi nd cues to lying for decades without success. “When you have people try to


detect lies or the truth in studies, it is basically a coin fl ip,” he says. Other than a few people who


are really bad liars, most lies go undetected. Most people will look you in the eye and lie convincingly. “The best way to detect a lie


is to ask probing questions or get verifi cation from another source,” says Hart. Lying can be detected with a lie


detector because of increased blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, or perspiration. But some people trigger a false


positive on the test because they are nervous. “False positive polygraphs occur


from 10% to 20% of the time, which is why they are not admissible in court,” explains Hart.


CAN LYING BE TREATED? If a web of lies seems to be entangling you or someone you know, there is hope. “Treatment has been eff ective


using a psychotherapy called cognitive behavioral therapy. “During this therapy, you face your


lies and the harm they may have done to you or others. You learn to think and act diff erently,” says Hart.


APRIL 2023 | NEWSMAX MAXLIFE 79


SOROKIN/AP IMAGES


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100