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Blog #2 – What causes humans to lie?

  1. why has lying been labeled as a negative deed? 

Lying has been influenced in everyones life as a negative and bad thing. We humans are always told to tell the truth and that lying is bad and not the right choice. Lying is seen as negative because it can cause one deep pain; moreover, it is “known” to be mischievous and disobeying. Discovering ideas and reasons to why lying is negative is my first step to gaining an idea to what exactly causes humans to lie.

2. What scientifically happens when humans lie?

Because lying cannot exactly be proven and does not really have a cause, I have decided to tackle the brain and the scientific reason to why lying happens and how the mind and body react to lying. This connects to the point I have been interested in which is why is it easier for some to lie while other immediately feel guilty and horrible afterwards. Though the last part of step 2 is a bit theoretical, it has been proven that your heart rate, sweating and facial reactions can indicate when one is lying. This step will give me the proven facts as well as keep me in the topic of lying and the idea of it.

3. What are the different types of lies included in our world and how unacceptable can they become?

Lying is not simply one small topic, but one that is included in everyones life. Everyone lies everyday, whether this is proven scientifically or not we all lie. However, lies have levels to them, we have the sugarcoating lie, which can cover up a small lie or possibly a big one. Moreover, we have fabrication, and denial which can deeply impactful ones life for the better, and for the worst. Lying is not just saying you finished your homework when you did not, it can go as deep as lying about your life story or even crimes. This step will help me discover the psychological and reality of why lying is so common between humans.

Here are some helpful sources that can be useful!

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/women-who-stray/201701/6-reasons-people-lie-when-they-don-t-need

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-art-of-lying/

https://brainworldmagazine.com/the-neuroscience-of-lying/

https://www.spsp.org/news-center/blog/the-consequences-of-dishonesty

https://www.counseling.org/news/aca-blogs/aca-counseling-corner/aca-counseling-corner-blog/2019/10/21/understanding-why-people-lie

How will this question impact other individuals and/or the community?

This inquiry can open up new ideas and thoughts that everyone never even thinks of, It gives all of a chance to dig deep into our minds, thoughts and brains to see exactly why it is easy to lie everyday, and so hard to cover up the truth with a lie. It can help with the mental and well-being of individuals as lying can be symptoms of illnesses people never knew about as well as ways to be “truthful” and maybe how to tell if someone is lying or not.

Lying may not seem as important in peoples minds; however, lying is not always positive and good, though it is always titled as negative (which is not always the true, lying can be used in positive ways), the concept of a lie can truly destroy ones life. When it comes to crimes, illnesses and relationships this mental concept can ruin everything for all. It is important to know when to stop, and what topics to stop at when lying is involved in ones life. Though everyone lies everyday, we all must be truthful to ourselves once in a while because it can be mentally draining to lie to others and even yourself.

 

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6 Comments

  1. hey negar! your topic is extremely interesting and is something i have wondered for soo long. i found your 3 questions very relevant and thought they relate well to your topic. here is a website i found that talks a little about why humans lie and how common it actually is. i hope this helps you with your research and i look forward to reading more from you in the near future!!
    https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinecomaford/2020/10/17/why-we-lie-and-the-neuroscience-behind-it/?sh=5dbece527d7c

  2. hello negar! this is such an interesting question, and I think your 3 research questions are well thought out. it’s so fascinating to think about how our brains come up with lies so fast, and how mentally draining lies can be. I’m looking forward to reading your future posts, good luck!!

  3. hello Negar, this is definitely a question I’ve never thought of and something that should be researched more into!!
    Have you tried looking at both the scientific evidence and the philosophical theory’s behind it and comparing them?

    here’s an article behind falsehood and lies from a philosophical stand point.
    https://philosophynow.org/issues/27/The_Truth_about_Lying

    here’s an article from a scientific stand point.

    https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2019/05/04/study-reveals-why-people-lie.html
    Happy researching!

  4. Hey Negar,
    this inquiry is really interesting to me because in my eyes it seems like we only lie as a defense mechanism, like if we did something wrong. So, it would be very interesting to know more about the actual reasons why we lie. A suggestion I have is to research why lying can be a defense mechanism for some people.

    Here are some websites to help you:
    https://www.therefuge-ahealingplace.com/about/blog/defense-of-lying/
    https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/compulsive-lying

    I’m excited to hear more from you and good luck!

  5. Hi Negar,
    This is such an interesting topic. It’s impossible to never lie, and some people find lying to be normal. I’ve never considered this as a research question, and I think it has a lot of potentials. I would like to know more about what side effects make us when we lie.
    Good luck 🙂
    Daniela Z.

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