If you're anything like me then you've never told a lie in your life either and often wonder why people make claims that they know are untrue, including the one you just read. Most of the time we don't really mean any harm when misrepresenting a fact; they're just little white lies to make your life slightly more convenient, like 'it's lovely to see you again' or 'we're just 5 minutes away' or 'of course I'm a qualified gynecologist.'
When he lies, his nose gets bigger, making the fact that he has no nostrils even more pronounced
Of course some lies can be more pernicious and have far reaching consequences. These can range from solemn oaths pronounced when one's hand is held over a book that claims the Earth is 6000 years old, to very simple utterances like 'I do.' But what drives us to lie? And are there reliable ways to spot lies? Well, as someone with a PhD in behavior psychology and 40 years of professional experience, I feel I'm qualified to shed some light on this topic.
Studies have shown that in a typical conversation with a stranger, the average person will lie over 3 times in the first 10 minutes, although that average drops down to a little below 1 if you discount Donald Trump. This level of ubiquitous pathological lying in our species would seem to suggest there may exists an evolutionary reason for it.
Researchers postulate that as social beings, we humans have undergone an evolutionary arms race between lying and spotting lies. This is because historically, the art of deception and the ability to detect it both yield survival and reproductive advantages. The long running contest between 'of course you don't look fat in that' and suspecting he's probably sleeping with your skinny ass sister, is to blame for us all being expert prevaricators.
There is evidence that other primates are also capable of lying. Some of you may have heard of the story of Koko the gorilla, who, when confronted, famously used sign language to blame a broken steel sink in her enclosure on her tiny pet kitten. Of course the only first-hand account of this incident came from a maintenance worker whose sole job it was to keep all the sinks in the gorilla enclosure in good working condition. The point is that we can find the evolutionary roots of lying in other animals as well.
Even tastier than a banana
Here are some other common symptoms exhibited by other people when they're lying, or me when I'm telling the truth:
There are also a number of common nonverbal cues, and I don't mean all the lies you've read so far in this article in writing, I mean body language signals as to when one might be lying:
Make sure the photographer is not behind you when you're reading your wedding vows
While it would be awfully convenient to be able to detect liars by their abnormally long nose or their wearing pants that are inexplicably engulfed in flames all the time, spotting lies in the real world is, unfortunately, an unreliable science and none of the above signals on their own would constitute conclusive proof that someone is lying. However, given the context, they can help to inform you of the likelihood that someone isn't being entirely truthful.
I suppose the lesson here is if you have to lie, a good memory never hurts as you'll need to keep track of all your individual fabrications so as to not give yourself away. Also, try to do it over the phone or email so they won't get a read on your sweaty little face. Finally, a good memory never hurts as you'll need to keep track of all your individual fabrications so as to not give yourself away.
What are some of the dumbest lies you've heard or told over the years? Let me know in the comments below!
References
Why Do We Lie
Former CIA Officer Will Teach You How to Spot a Lie l Digiday
The Science of Lying
If you enjoyed this post please Upvote, Resteem and Follow me 
