Note from the Editor:
This article was kindly written for the SDC by member @Doctor Alan.


We’ve been regular viewers of Judge Judy in the evenings, and the question that keeps popping up is: ‘Are we all liars?’.


Judy spends a lot of airtime listening to the defendant and the plaintiff and often decides which one is lying. We don’t always agree, but on most occasions, one or the other is telling fibbers, and as we’ve got older, we recognise this with increasing frequency.

Historical lies:​

There have been many instances in history where ‘lying’ has played an integral part.

There is now a myth: a story about 6-year-old George Washington damaging his father’s cherry tree with a hatchet his father had given him.

When questioned about it, he said, ‘Father, I cannot tell a lie. I damaged the tree with my hatchet.’ His father was supposed to have hugged him and said something like, ‘Your honesty is worth more than a thousand trees!’

Learning to be liars!​

When we are children, we learn quickly that hiding the truth can save us from a ‘jolly good spanking’!

When my parents were out and I was at home with my two brothers (I think I was about eight years old), I found the ‘hundreds and thousands’ container in the pantry and thought I’d taste ‘just a few’ – I suppose I had a ‘sweet tooth’.

The container fell over and spilled most of its contents on the floor and intervening shelves. I spent ages cleaning up all the mess, and was quite pleased with the final result of my efforts. My self-congratulation was short-lived, however.

When my mother opened the pantry door, the slight amount of suction pulled loads of the tiny coloured pellets out into the open, for all to see. Denial was impossible, and blaming my brothers wasn’t worth it, so I had to ‘fess up’!


When I was much older, as a student at North Sydney Boys’ High School, we were told that it was forbidden to enter the classrooms during break times or lunch.

I’d forgotten my sandwiches and returned to the classroom to retrieve them. A teacher ‘on patrol’ saw me and told me I had to go straight to the Deputy Head. (I assumed I would be strapped to a chair and my fingernails pulled out one by one until I confessed or repented.)

Anyway, in a flash of inspiration, I told him I’d received permission from a prefect. ‘Which one?’ he asked. ‘I don’t know,’ I said, ‘it was one with a pale blue tie. ' (They ALL had pale blue ties!)

The teacher simply said, ‘Well, just make sure you remember your lunch next time!' and let me off. That’s the thing about lying. You have to be creative!

As a teenager, I learnt that some lies are almost essential if you don’t want to hurt somebody’s feelings deliberately. It’s called a ‘white lie’ when you tell your girlfriend you ‘hadn’t even noticed’ that her nose was slightly crooked, or that she had a prominent mole on her chin.

Of course, when you were older, you’d always tell your wife that her hair looked great after she’d been to the hairdresser, no matter what you really felt about it. It’s knowing which side your bed’s bartered!

The politics of lying:​

In politics and war, lies are commonly called ‘propaganda’.

They even say that the first casualty of war is truth, and that the ‘propaganda war’ cannot be underestimated.

Recently, we have heard a lot of ‘lying’ from one or two world leaders. It appears that you only hear them lie when they open their mouths!

When I received a phone call before the last Federal election, asking me who I’d vote for, I simply said I always vote for the party that tells the least effective lie! It says a lot about politics today.

Can you tell if somebody’s lying?​

Certain behaviours and verbal cues can sometimes detect verbal lies, but there's no foolproof way to detect deception.

Changes in speech patterns, body language, and inconsistencies in their story could occur, but you have to remember that innocent factors, like nervousness or discomfort, could cause these signs.


Bearing this in mind, it is recognised that the polygraph test is not necessarily conclusive.

Also, I’ve often wondered how a barrister can say a person’s testimony is a ‘tissue of lies’ when they’ve promised (on the Bible, quite usually) that they’d tell the truth. What was the point?

There is an excellent website that lists ten ways in which you can suspect people are lying:
Briefly:

1. A Change in Speech Patterns: A change in a person’s voice or mannerisms of speaking;
2. The Use of Non-Congruent Gestures: If a person says yes but shakes their head no;
3. Not Saying Enough: Liars typically offer less detail when answering a question than those telling the truth;
4. Saying Too Much: Liars trying to deceive, stretch the truth with too many words;
5. An Unusual Rise or Fall in Vocal Tone: Self-explanatory;
6. Direction of Their Eyes: A commonly-held cultural belief in the United States is: if a person isn’t making eye contact, they aren’t telling the truth;
7. Covering Their Mouth or Eyes: They put their hands over their eyes or mouths when uttering an untruth;
8. Excessive Fidgeting: They may lick their lips, look at their nails, or even shake their hands before lying;
9. Finger Pointing (Literal or Figurative): By ‘pointing’ at or toward something or someone else, with verbal or physical gestures or words, may indicate a desire to divert the blame to someone else;
10. Self-Identifying as a ‘Good Liar’: Those who identify as ‘good liars’ are more of an honest indicator than lie detector tests.

(With these indicators in mind, watch the speech of any politician and then try to discern whether they’re telling the truth!)

Lies in psychological tests for employment:​

In my working career, I applied for several employment positions, the vetting process of which included a lengthy psychological test.

One question asks if you thought ‘stealing’ a paper clip by a colleague should be reported. The same question would be asked in different ways throughout the test, and the only way I could answer these questions without an ‘inconsistency’ was to ‘take on the role’ of an honest and friendless person.

I answered ‘Yes, of course I’d “dob him in”’, knowing I wouldn’t! (Of course, TWO paperclips would be quite a different matter!)

Lying by inaction:​

I’ll finish this article by pointing out more of a dishonest act than lies.

It occurs when you go through the checkout, find you’ve been undercharged, and don’t say anything. It’s a sort of ‘lie’, really.

We justify it by saying, ‘Well, they put the prices up and overcharge us poor consumers all the time.’ On the other hand, most of us who get overcharged scream like stuck pigs!

In conclusion, I’d say that we probably are all liars, to a greater or lesser extent, in a similar way to saying we’re not all scrupulously honest. I know I try to be, and it makes me feel good to correct any undercharging at the supermarket, not that they’d appreciate it.

I believe that lying is an integral part of life, but the truth can sometimes be very hurtful and even soul-destroying.


From the Editor:
Some memories never fade — like the first time we stretched the truth or covered up a childhood mishap. Do you remember the moment, the feeling, or even the smell in the air? We’d love to hear your most memorable little fib (and how it ended!). Share your story in the comments below.


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