why do people lie?

I never lie As a kid,I lied many time afraid of punishment.Even Gandhiji used to tell lies when he was young. I think sweet lies are better than bitter truths.As long as it doesn't hurt anyone,lying isn't a sinful act.And those bitter truths can and should be avoided,its a sin when it is intentionally used to hurt someone.

I am no psychologist/psychiatrist but i will share you my opinion regarding this. IMO humans lie because of that, we are humans. All of us will do everything for own personal gains even if we dont admit that, and most of the time, the key towards that personal gain is by lying or something which is related to lying. It is in our nature to sin, it is in our instincts to protect ourselves, and those are somehow accessed by lying. We protect our ego, our reputation and increase them (in a way) by lying. As long as the good outweigh the bad in our decisions then i think it may compensate as lying is REALLY inevitable in life. we have to accept that.

There are times when I can understand why people might lie. Sometimes it's to save someone else's feelings. For example, if you break up with someone, you might lie and say 'I need some space' instead of saying 'you're a pain in the backside and I can't stand being around you any more'. Then someone might lie to save themselves from getting into trouble. 'No, officer, I did not stab that lady, she fell onto my knife'. Or if they're scared of something. Like I would tell my ex that there was no problem when there was one because he'd rant, scream and shout, and be generally very nasty at me if I tried to talk to him about what was wrong. There are plenty of other times when I don't have a clue why someone lies. I've known a compulsive liar who I'm not sure whether he believed what he was saying or if he knew it was a lie and just couldn't help it. There were even instances where he'd lie when the truth would have been perfectly acceptable. Example - He said: 'I can't work tonight because I'm out with my mates'. He was actually spending time with his family. It made absolutely no sense to lie. My partner has trouble lying. He doesn't see the point in it either. He says people are often wary of him because he's so honest, they wonder what he's up to! I don't tend to lie. I won't say that I never do because sometimes there is a reason for it. But I don't understand why people lie for the sake of lying, or even why they think it somehow is going to make life easier.

The answer is simple missy... People lie for some selfish purpose, at least most of 'em do... There're some who lie because the truth is too dark or hideous and needs to be held back... But mostly people lie because they gain something out of it... There's a wise line said by a wise guy, 'To hide one lie, one needs to tell another hundred.' Happy Lotting!

People lie because they are weak. This is not a lie. The truth will set you free. When you understand the statement and apply it you can see that a lie is never the best solution. One example of a lie is living in denial. People can not face the truth and would rather believe a lie than the truth. It is a fools folly. However, no one is perfect and we follow that course sometimes. It is like making a mistake on purpose.

Oh savage!! People lying is a quite obvious thing my friend. A question like this may come in your mind once you get affected from someone's lie. Speaking of nice natured person,circumstances force them to tell lie. Even they may not like it. Mostly at a certain age tenure you tell lie just to escape and hide your mistakes. Best we can do is to try and understand what reasons may have been there behind someone very dear to us telling lie. Do not take me wrong, here is why i tell lie sometimes, telling lie at times makes the situation good, at the needed moment. It is something like a loan, helps you get out of trouble and later you can sort out everything with a cool head and better plan. Hope you get it what I am trying to convey

Because they afraid if they not tell lie then their parents, friends may be any beat them or angred on them. If the person has confidence after telling truth they will not face any anger or beating then they can say truth but this is not possible therefore they tell lie. In some cases telling lie is good but in important cases it is dangerous.

Some people lie since they want to escape from reality. Others lie because they want to avoid getting into problems which is psychologically fullfilling.

there are certain thing why people lie about the truth. Maybe because there's a guilt or pride being hidden.Some person may not cover up because of the damages they had made. Some person cannot defend themselves if the truth being revealed. It depends on the damages or after effect of the situation. People might interpreted wrongly doing or they judge them without thinking behind it.that's why some cannot directly tell the truth unless his/her consciousness prevail.I lied many times when i was a child but now I've grown up and knows behind its consequences. No matter how heavy or whatever may happen after i tell the truth I just think and conclude that its better to tell the truth than keep it a secret. I just follow my conscience and heart on how to make the decision when it comes to that.

Yeah many people these days often lie to get things done quickly without much hassles. Beside some lie in order to keep the things going as it is. But if you lie that will result in positive things, then that lie is equivalent to a truth.