Why do some people lie unnecessarily?

Everyone has told a lie at some point. It is an indisputable fact and one that you will have reference to in your memory. In fact, although honesty is an axiomatic principle within your moral values, it is possible that you accept lying on some occasions. But what about people who lie unnecessarily?

Sometimes, It is difficult to differentiate a person who lies often from another who suffers from mythomania, a picture in which we could speak of compulsive lying. The truth is that the group of individuals we are talking about does not suffer any psychological alteration, so pathology cannot be one of the reasons for their lack of truth. Therefore, it is more difficult to understand their reasons, since they do not seem to have a need or origin for these lies.

However, and like almost everything in psychology, there are reasons that explain this behavior. That is what we are going to explore in this space: the lie that only seems necessary in the mind of the person who tells it. Do not miss it.

Mythomania is the tendency to compulsive lying.

Lies versus mythomania

Lying is not essentially bad. You can lie so that a person does not discover your surprise party or to get rid of someone who is only going to bring misfortunes to your life, for example. It is another form of social interaction and, as such, it is possible to use it for healthy purposes or to harm others.

On the other hand, There is a disorder called mythomania, in which the person lies compulsively. Here, the stories that are invented are not entirely improbable, they do not respond to specific pressures and the person suffers a lot when relating to others.

However, When this habit of not respecting the truth does not respond to a need or a pathology, we find ourselves facing an absurd situation., in which people who lie needlessly continue with their stories. Let’s explore this aspect of human relationships.

What is in the minds of people who lie unnecessarily?

They do not avoid any punishment, they do not appear more attractive, they do not receive a reward for it. So why do they lie? The truth is that the reasons exist, but they do not usually come from the liar’s own mind. They respond to internal dialogues and mental processes that seek emotional balance, improving the subject’s self-perception, and which are rarely observed if the relationship with him is not deepened.

1. Need for approval

This is one of the most frequent motivations for lying, but in the case at hand there is no real pressure from the environment for it to occur. That is, the subject, despite being in a social circle that accepts and welcomes him, He still feels that he needs to earn the approval of others, and to do so he lies.

2. Importance is given to the contents of the lies

This situation is more than one level deep, so let’s look at it with an example.. A person lies to his friends saying that he has a lot of money, a social context in which economic status is not important. When they discover that this is not the case, everyone is surprised; Everyone has a similar economic capital behind them and there has never been a collective admiration for those people who have more.

However, The lie has nothing to do with the pressure of the environment, but with an internal judgment of the liar himself. For him, having a lot of money is one of the facets that make someone successful, and he wants to be successful; In this way he lies, although it has no effect outside his mind.

3. Feeling of lack of control

It may seem absurd, but invented stories are under the control of the narrator. Not the reality. Therefore, when telling, for example, an anecdote, modifying it or telling it in a “fanciful” way, the liar takes control of the narrative and the events it exposes.

In this way, details and facts that could go against what would make a person look bad are avoided (according to their own criteria).

4. Today’s invention is the continuation of yesterday’s lie

Sometimes, the lies that are already very far from the reality that could keep them hidden are the millionth step of the one that was told a long time ago and cannot be uncovered. A chain of lies that, the longer it continues, the more difficult it is to break.

5. You tell what you would like to be true

Although it may seem unlikely, repeating a lie many times can end up turning it into a collective truth. For this reason, many people tell certain facts and aspects of themselves reflecting what they would like them to really be. Although there is no need for this in most cases, It can be seen as a way of transforming reality within the person’s mind.

Many people lie to compensate for disgust or dissatisfaction with their reality.

6. For the person who states it, it is not a lie

In the end, the reality that comes out of our mouths is a message that has passed through the filters of physical perception, mental processing and memory capacity. In turn, these processes interact with the outside, so the result is usually further from true reality than we usually appreciate.

Therefore, It is normal for the testimonies of two different people to be totally divergent regarding the same fact.. On these occasions, it might seem like you are dealing with a person who lies unnecessarily, but before judging, remember: people understand each other by talking. It is very possible that this uncertainty can be fixed with an honest conversation. After all, the only truth we know is the common lie that we all perceive through our senses.

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