Lying is a habit that has ruined relationships, broken friendships, and been scorned by parents. Yet lying has been the timeless standby for people to use to get them out of sticky situations.
Lying isn’t a flawless method, especially with the popular use of lie detectors and knowledge of body language signs that have been circulating. It’s easier now more than ever to spot a liar while they are lying to you instead of after they have lied and the damage has already been done. But that doesn’t mean lying is going away for good.
“Lying is what it is. It’s the bending of the truth. Society says its bad so that’s what we tend to follow,” said junior Government and Politics major Mary*.
(Photo credit: www.abcfamily.com)
Our society does have a fascination with lying. From T.V. shows like the ABC Family drama Pretty Little Liars to Maury’s lie detector test episodes to reveal cheating husbands, lying is a prevalent part of pop culture. Although these shows deal with extreme lies, most lies that people tell are known as “white lies”.
White lies are lies told out of politeness or tact. They are meant to avoid hurting another person’s feelings and are considered trivial in the grand scheme of things. Some people consider white lies to be an everyday part of life as well as necessary.
“I feel like everyone lies. I lie to my little brother when he shows me a picture and I say ‘Oh that’s really awesome’ when I’m really like ‘whatever’. I feel like we all lie to the people we love because we love them and we want to encourage and support them. As long as it’s truly harmless a white lie is fine,” said Mary*.
While others see lying, white or not, as negative and should be avoided.
“People should just try to be honest with other people,” said sophomore English and communications major Vanessa Abrahams. “It really depends on the context but honesty is always the best policy.”
A good way to avoid the aftermath of a lie is to spot the liar in action. People have devised their own methods of spotting a liar.
“I go with my instinct when trying to figure out if someone is lying. It’s not something I can prove I just go with my gut,” Mary* said.
Meanwhile others can only spot a liar understand certain circumstances. “I can tell when people are lying to me if I know the person,” said Abrahams.
According to thewisdomjournal.com here are a few signs to catch a liar in the act:
1. Giving too much or too little information. If they give very little information they have not thought their lie through. If they give too much information they are trying to convince you of their lie.
2. Crossing their arms and/or legs. When a person does this they don’t feel comfortable and want to protect themselves.
3. Making too little or too much eye contact. A liar will look away from your eyes when lying. However, sometimes liars try to counteract this by making too much eye contact.
Sometimes it is impossible to know when someone is lying. The best thing to do is try to be honest in your own life.
* Name has been changed