Why we lie and why we’re bad at spotting liars

Everyone lies occasionally, but some people make a habit of it. We look at the nature of deceit, why some people lie more than others, and how to detect it.

Air Date: June 21, 2024 12:00 pm

Most of us try to be honest but sometimes we don’t tell the truth.

Psychologists Christian Hart and Drew Curtis have made researching lying their life’s work. They found that the average person tells about one lie a day, while chronic liars fib ten times a day. Their latest book is titled Big Liars.

On this episode, we delve into the psychology of deceit, what we are learning about people who lie as a way of life and how to be on the look out for signs of lying.

Hart and Curtis found that the most successful politicians are the ones who bend the truth. The more honest ones generally don’t get re-elected. And since we are headed into what promises to be a political season filled with mis and disinformation, it’s going to be vital knowing how to tell the difference between what’s false and what’s true.

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