why people lie?

Answer 1

Generally speaking the reason depends on the situation. To avoid trouble, conflict, the reason is obvious. Then there are those that lie to exaggerate things like how big of a fish they caught, to impress others, low self esteem etc. Then there are those that don't know how to tell the truth

Answer 2

I would have to say that there are a few people that lie because they can't control it, others lie because they don't want to hurt someones feelings by telling them the hurtful truth.
Some lie to see if they can get away with something, some lie because they think it is a game, some lie just simply because they can, or because they are doing it because its like breaking a rule and going against authority. Children lie because they don't know until someone teaches them. Some lie because its easier to lie about something instead of getting into a argument, or to cover up something that they did that was wrong in the first place.
I guess everyone has there own reasons for any lies they may tell...and no one can say they never do it cause even stretching the true is lying, along with not giving an answer when you know it is lying. Or last but not least People lie to get what they want,or need.

Answer 3

I am 54 years old and if I knew the answer to that I would be rich by now. When you get older you learn that it is so much essayer to just tell the truth and go on about your business. Don't have to remember so much this way. Do you realize that most people already know when a person is lying. When someone lies to me it makes me think that they think I am stupid or something. A couple of years ago I told my oldest son to go lie to some one else because I have already told all the lies he can think of and know all of the excuses he could ever come up with.
Perry

Answer 4

different people lie for different reasons. some may lie for a good cause, while others may lie to hide a wrong they did or for many other reasons. but i think these two are the most common reasons why people lie. children lie to their parents because they are afraid of their parents' reaction. and it also indicates that the child knows that he/she has done something wrong.one doesn't have to lie if he/she hasn't done anything wrong, unless it does any good for others.

Answer 5

There are a lot of good reasons for lying in the replies I was reading. I am going to add this because it is the least thought of reason. Because they are not content with who they are so they lie to make themselves look different to others. It, in their eyes, helps them to be accepted by others. They forget that eventually they will be found out and the respect they have gained from others will be gone.

Answer 6

As far as the psychology of the unconscious is concerned, lying is a fact of life. But the act of telling lies is something else entirely. When you tell a lie you make a deliberate, conscious effort to deceive someone, and that deception, at its psychological core, is an act of aggression.

Answer 7

let me tell you first of all THIS IS GOOD QUESTION .

I believe different people have different intentions in life .so sometime they believe if X person finds out about Y person, X( he or she) will abuse this information and the our plan will be GARBAGE.
sometime people hide certain things and Lie about certain things because they they cannot see other people's victory.
And finally i think Something really personally older people hide many things and lie about those because they think they are something in this world , Which is really stupidity and I think this people are really dumb. Because their generation is about to be over and they will face reality, their future generation will govern them...... WAKE UP....!!!


I think sometime LIFE IS NOT Fair

Answer 8

They not always lie for the same reason.

This is a good explanation:

Why people lie
By Mark Kendall
The Press-Enterprise

So many reasons to lie:
For the money.
To get away from a mean boss.
To escape embarrassment.
For a good laugh.
To stay out of jail.

Avoiding punishment is the most common reason, says Paul Ekman, a University of California, San Francisco, psychiatry professor who has studied lying for three decades. He's talking about serious lies -- the kind that could get you in big trouble -- not the little, white your-haircut-looks-great lies.

Remember Susan Smith, the South Carolina woman who in 1994 strapped her two boys into the car and sent them into a lake to drown. She tried to stay out of trouble by going on TV, saying her sons were kidnapped and pleading for their safe return.

The flip side of why people lie is for gain: money, power, approval.

Pretty simple so far. Other motivations, though, are tougher to understand. Why would these successful people concoct phony stories about their pasts?

Larry Lawrence, a wealthy Democratic Party donor and U.S. ambassador to Switzerland, lied about being in the Merchant Marine during World War II and fabricated a story of struggling in icy waters after his ship was torpedoed.

Judge James Ware of the U.S. District Court in San Jose had his hopes for a promotion sunk after he admitted last year to making up the story of his brother being shot dead by white racists as he watched.

Ekman has looked at both cases. He notes that the lies were devised before Ware and Lawrence became so prominent. People liked the stories, so they stayed in each man's repertoire. "It becomes part of their life," Ekman says. "They almost believe it is true."

Lawrence died last year, before his lie was revealed. Ware has said he was drawing attention to the effects of racism.

Halford Fairchild, a psychology professor at Pitzer College in Claremont, is among those who offer less favorable explanations for self-aggrandizing stories.

"They get a lot of attention from it," says Fairchild. "It paid off for the person. A lot of people had sympathy for the person."

Keep on reading at:
http://www.press-enterprise.com/newsarchive/1998/05/04/894250771.html

Answer 9

They would rather lie then tell the truth...if they lie they want get in to trouble...or lie to make their selves look better then they are

Answer 10

to get out of a bad situation
guys: to get the best of a girl
kids: they be scared and they just lie