Buzz
Why do people fabricate details about matters that are easily fact-checked? Ego and ambition. Wavebreakmedia/ThinkStockIt's one thing to stretch the truth about the size of the bass you caught or the weight on your driver's license, but what about being offered a full scholarship to West Point? Running for your life under sniper fire? Witnessing in disbelief as a dead body floats through the French Quarter?
Ben Carson, Hillary Clinton, and Brian Williams are a few well-known figures who have been caught exaggerating or outright fabricating stories. They’re clearly accomplished, so why would they risk lying about events that are so easily verifiable? This is the million-dollar question.
Before delving into the specifics of why individuals in the public eye often believe they can get away with blatant deception, let's take a moment to acknowledge that everyone, to some extent, engages in lies of various degrees and frequencies.
"People often lie about everyday details like 'There was traffic,' 'I'm not feeling well and can't make it to work,' or 'My car broke down' to avoid responsibilities, protect their image, or earn favors," explains Sanam Hafeez, Psy.D., a neuropsychologist and director at Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services, as well as a faculty member at Columbia University, in an email interview.
These types of lies may work if the person being lied to cannot easily verify the truth. But what about lies that are easily disproven? With video evidence or a simple phone call to the college to confirm whether someone truly graduated, what motivates these lies?
"People often lie for immediate benefits, disregarding potential long-term consequences," Hafeez notes. "They believe they will handle any issues that arise later. Some people even enjoy the rush of lying, particularly about high-risk matters, just to feel the thrill of getting away with it."
The key drivers behind these lies appear to be two main factors: ego and ambition. "Sometimes people have such an inflated sense of themselves that they fail to accurately predict what might happen. Brian Williams, the former NBC News anchor, should have known better, but his own ego and narcissism took control," says Bart Rossi, Ph.D., a clinical and political psychologist, via email. "In many cases, people are even rewarded for their lies, which encourages them to continue until they are caught. When they are exposed, we often see additional attempts to downplay or minimize the lies or to deflect blame onto the media."
While seasoned liars, like many politicians, may be harder to detect, identifying a lie is not as difficult as it seems. Hafeez points out that the signs can be subtle but are still noticeable, including changes in voice pitch, body language, eye contact, and facial expressions.
When you're unsure, trust your own instincts to make the right judgment. "Follow your instinct," Hafeez advises. "It's there for a reason."
Why is it that some people struggle with simple excuses, while others can effortlessly come up with elaborate lies? A 2005 study found that liars had more "white matter" in their prefrontal cortexes, suggesting they are better at connecting and fabricating random, often false, thoughts.
