Pathological Lying
“Do not Lie!” would be the short version of the ninth commandment God gave to man which says: “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor” Exodus 20:16 (NIV).
It is a simple and clear command, and yet, why can’t some people stop lying?
Besides the typical reasons for lying: fear of the consequence and punishment, for personal gain, to mislead and deceive, and to manipulate persons or a situation — lying for some people was found to have a neurological basis, according to a study published in 2005 by the British Journal of Psychiatry. In the study, people who lied, cheated and manipulated others were found to have a structural brain difference, particularly in their prefrontal cortex.
Lying and the Prefrontal Cortex
Liars in the study were found to have significantly more white matter than grey matter in their brain. The researchers of the study explain that the surplus of white matter provide liars with fewer moral restraints, hence lending the predisposition to lie. They claim that the prefrontal cortex of the brain is an important—but not the sole—component in the neural circuitry of lying, developmentally providing the individual the cognitive capacity to lie. They also note the initial correlation of the ratio between white matter and grey matter in the brain for a deceitful and malingering personality.
Researchers also mention that the relative reduction in prefrontal grey matter may predispose the individual with general antisocial disinhibited tendencies, which results in excessive lying with increased white matter. They elucidate that there is an activation of the prefrontal cortex when it comes to moral decisions and with less grey matter there, individuals are less likely to be concerned about moral issues. They argue that the more networking the prefrontal cortex has, the more the person possesses a natural advantage to lie, with superior verbal skills. This may explain why ‘con-men’ and ‘con-artists’ are usually very articulate and convincing, making it quite easy for them to win the confidence of their would-be victims.
Pseudologia Fantastica
Since pathological lying has been associated with changes in the prefrontal cortex, this also has implications for psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder. In psychiatry, compulsive or pathological lying is known as pseudologia fantastica or mythomania. There is no consensus definition for pathological lying but the identified functional elements of the phenomenon are:
• Repeated utterance of untruths
• Repeated lying eventually become a lifestyle
• Material or social reward does not appear to be the primary motivation
• Lying is an end in itself
• An inner dynamic rather than an external reason drives the lying
Pseudologia fantastica is different from other types of lying. Pseudologia fantastica are typified by the following characteristics:
1. Stories are not entirely improbable but are often built upon a matrix of truth.
2. Stories are enduring
3. Stories have a self-aggrandizing quality
4. Distinct from delusions
5. When confronted with facts, the person can acknowledge these falsehoods
It is a complex phenomenon, differing from other mental illnesses such as borderline personality disorder and narcissism. Pseudologia fantastica has many life-changing consequences. Lying in whatever form is never harmless. The loss of trust and the destruction of relationships may all find its root in lies and deception.
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References:
Yang, Yaling, and Adrian Raine. “Prefrontal white matter in pathological liars.” The British Journal of Psychiatry 187 (2005): 320-325.
Dike, Charles, Madelon Baranoski, and Ezra Griffith. “Pathological Lying Revisited.” Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law33, no. 3 (2005): 342-349.
King, BH, and CV Ford. “Pseudologia fantastica.”Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 77, no. 1 (1988): 1-6.