THE NATURE OF LYING: SUMMARY OF MAIN POINTS

Lying is a normal part of human communication and should not always be considered a bad thing to do.

People lie regularly, about once every ten minutes during conversation.

Sometimes lying is necessary to protect a person’s feelings and to assist with everyday human interaction. On other occasions lying can be very detrimental to people and their relationships.

Other-Focused Lies are directed at another person and are usually told with the good intention of the deceiver. They are sometimes called white lies or good-will lies.

Self-Focused Lies may be directed at any person, but are told for the purpose of benefitting or protecting the person telling the lie. While not always the case, this category of lie can be sinister and damaging.