It’s not good to do it, we aren’t supposed to do it, but we do it anyhow. Lying, that is. Studies have shown that the average person lies at least once a day1. Some people lie up to 40 times a day. We won’t say what profession that is, but the incidence probably goes down in non-election years. On average, we are lied to several times a day.

There have been many famous lies and liars throughout history3:

* Herodotus – considered the father of history, the world’s first historian was known for telling false stories

* The Trojan horse – it’s unknown whether the horse itself was a lie to sneak soldiers into the city or whether the whole story itself was a lie

* George Washington chopping down a cherry tree – the story telling us of Washington’s honesty was itself a lie

* Bernie Madoff lied to investors to con them out of $50 billion.

* The idea that the earth was believed to be flat prior to Columbus.  It was actually felt by most to be spherical.

* Richard Nixon’s giving the ‘I am not a crook speech’ in response to the Watergate investigation.

* Bill Clinton saying ‘I did not have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.’

* Hitler blaming the Jews for everything

And some of my favorite examples of lying:

* Santa Claus

* The Easter bunny

* The tooth fairy

* Oskar Schindler saved over 1000 Jews by lying to the Nazis

* Raoul Wallenberg saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust by lying to the Nazi’s

Lying is bad for both our mental and physical health. Lying increases heart rate and blood pressure. It increases stress hormones making us more prone to infections, back pain, headaches, and fatigue. It also causes more anxiety, guilt, and depression. Honesty improves self-esteem and personal relationships.1,2

People lie for a variety of reasons:

* To make themselves look good

* To gain attention

* To avoid taking the blame

* To tease someone

* To be mean or cruel to someone

* To avoid doing something we don’t want to do

* For personal gain

* To test boundaries (particularly with kids)

* Out of habit

* Scared or embarrassed to tell the truth

* For personal safety

* To protect  someone else’s feelings ( i.e. the white lie)

The white lie is often thought of as an okay or maybe even a good thing to do.  This is not always the case. For instance, I’ve often been an innocent victim of the white lie. The scenario goes like this: we are at someone’s house and they have made a fancy looking dessert. My wife takes a bite and tells the hostess that it is wonderful (white lie) and that I need to eat some, which I unfortunately feel compelled to do (innocent victim). At this point, I wind up with some awful tasting thing in my mouth trying to figure out how to gracefully spit it out.  Incidentally, my personal experience has been that the fancier a dessert looks, the worse it will taste. Also, the worse it tastes, the more people will rave about it.

We would be better off by not lying, and yet we do it. The way to stop is to look at the advantages of being honest and then developing the intestinal fortitude, the guts to tell the truth. The result again will often be relief that you don’t have to lie anymore, and improved stronger relationships.

The worst type of lie may be when we lie to ourselves as we our only hurting ourselves when we do it. It may also be the most common type of lie, as we sometimes lie to ourselves all day long. It is often done as we don’t want to face the truth. Sometimes, we lie to ourselves so much and for so long that we actually start to believe the lies. For instance, I often have patients tell me that they don’t eat anything and exercise all day long and yet they are gaining weight. This would only be possible if it was all water weight (usually not the case), or if their body is the only place on earth that defies the laws of chemistry and physics.

I believe the best way to avoid lying is to turn to God.  Talk to God in your prayers, and keep it mind that there is absolutely no point in lying to God as He already knows everything. He knows the truth so you might as well start by telling Him the truth and asking Him for the strength and means to tell the truth to others, including yourself.  I believe this would put a smile on His face, and you’ll be better for it. God Bless.

P.S. I apologize for the lack of humor in this blog. The thing about me having a lousy dessert in my mouth wasn’t funny at all.

1. Haupt, Angela, ‘How Lying Effects Your Health’, US News and World Report, August 20, 2012.

2. Doheny, Kathleen, ‘Fewer Lies, Better Health’, WebMD, August 6, 2012. 3. Ferreira, Becky, ‘The 20 Biggest Lies in History’, Mindhut, www.sparknotes.com,  Jan 9, 2014.