Liar, Liar, Smarty Pants on Fire
Lying isn’t anything new. It’s been happening since the beginning of time: Adam and Eve were lied to about the apples, the Greeks lied about their Trojan horse peace offering, the story of George Washington cutting down the cherry tree was fallacious, and your parents might have lied to you about Santa. In any case, lying has maneuvered its way into our everyday lives; we lie so often that we don’t even realize it’s lying anymore: “No, no, no… that sweater looks great on you!” or “Oh sorry, I have plans that day,” or the “Yeah, of course I finished my homework already.” So, why do we always lie and what does it mean?
According to “Learning to Lie” by Po Bronson, lying is a sign of intelligence, especially in young kids. Dr. Victoria Talwar, an assistant professor at Montreal’s McGill University and a leading expert on children’s lying behavior, explains that lying is an advanced skill because in order to lie, a child must “recognize the truth, intellectually conceive of an alternate reality, and be able to convincingly sell that new reality.” Think about it. The children that seem smart aren’t the ones that reveal that they’re actually four when they’re introduced as a three-year-old to get into the show for free. The kids that impress you are the ones that say, “Oh! I love this dress!” in front of Grandma with a toothy smile, but then secretly throw the dress into a dark corner when no one is watching.
While lying is an early sign of intelligence, we shouldn’t be so quick to condone lying. Honesty is a prized and vital quality to have. When asked which trait they most wanted in their children, parents answered with “honesty.” Honesty allows for a life of simplicity— there’s no need to hide from the truth and there’s no stress in trying to keep track of lies. It’s nearly impossible to be honest one hundred percent of the time, but there are many benefits to honesty: it shows that you care, that you’re courageous. It establishes strong connections and bonds between people. For children, honesty might make them seem simpleminded, but as you get older, honesty shows your authenticity and maturity.
Furthermore, just the mere act of lying doesn’t prove your intelligence. Intelligence in lying is the ability to keep up with all the lies because as the saying goes, “You can run with a lie, but you can’t hide from the truth— it will catch up with you.” Anyone can distort the truth or fabricate a story, but the true brilliance lies in the ability to have people actually believe the lie, and to not get caught in the process. So, while every single person lies, only a select few are professionals— those who have mastered their straight face, can look you in the eye, and lie without missing a beat—and can be deemed considerably more intelligent than the rest of us.
Bronson asked, “What’s your worst lie?” but instead of the lie you feel most guilty about, what is your smartest lie? A lie that everyone believed, a lie that saved your life, a lie that tricked everyone. Being able to keep track of an intricate lie is impressive because it’s so difficult.
“No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar.” -Abraham Lincoln
Until you can learn to outsmart everyone with your meticulously crafted lies without getting caught, honesty might still just be the best policy.
