#1
Pathological liar behavior doesn’t always make sense. While some lies are clearly made to manipulate other people, others don’t lead to any tangible gain. According to Verywell Mind, compulsive lying “can also be more of a reflex, where a person lies without even realizing it.”
Even though everyone lies, there is a vast difference between non-pathological (aka ‘normal’ or ‘natural’) and pathological lying. In the former case, individuals consciously decide to sometimes bend the truth either for their own or others’ benefit.
‘Normal’ lying might include situations where you want to:
- Avoid hurting someone’s feelings by telling them the truth
- Get out of trouble
- Finesse a social situation to avoid awkwardness and embarrassment
- Prevent looking incompetent at work and in other situations
Meanwhile, compulsive lying is extremely problematic and exhausting. It can cause a lot of distress not just for the liars themselves, but also for their social circles. Some people start lying compulsively as children in order to protect themselves. Eventually, it becomes a habit.
#2
#3
While some pathological liars’ tales can contain some truthful details, this might not always be the case. Furthermore, not all compulsive lies cast the liars in a positive light. When lying is a reflex, these liars might say something that negatively affects their reputation, too.
These liars can also make things up about things that objectively don’t matter all that much. They might, for instance, lie about what they did over the weekend. Realistically, there’s probably no reason not to tell anyone the truth.
Some compulsive liars go so far as to fabricate their ‘backstories’: where they grew up, what their parents do for a living, where they went to school, etc.
#4
#5
Well fast forward a few months, and this Irish guy has met a woman in the organisation, they've gotten serious, and they're going to have a baby. Then all of a sudden it comes to light that those two drunk dudes were the only ones who saw through him right from the start. He was totally an American guy who faked an Irish accent, got caught in a lie, doubled down, and found his whole life revolving around this fabricated personal history of his... And those two guys really are good judges of character.
#6
hippiechick725:
My mother split when I was 10, no reason and very little contact after (I’m 55 now). I have a sister and a brother.
She died two years ago, and someone she worked with years ago saw her obituary and wrote me a letter, shocked she had children listed as “survivors”.
She had taken significant (paid) time off three separate times to deal with the trauma of her children tragically dying…one of us in a car accident, one in Desert Storm, and supposedly I committed s*****e.
She lived 8 states away and lied so much, figured no one would find out. None of us went to her funeral so I guess she kinda got away with it.
Not all pathological liars lack self-awareness, however. Some of them might feel distressed by their behavior and feel like they can’t stop it, as things are out of their control. Therapy can be incredibly helpful here. If you suspect that you might have issues with compulsive lying, remember that it’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help.
It’s quite likely that if you call out a pathological liar for their behavior, they’ll deny that they’ve been bending the truth. Or, they might lie even more to cover up any inconsistencies you’ve spotted in their previous lies. Broadly speaking, compulsive liars don’t feel bad about what they do.
#7
No, your dad stocks vending machines.
#8
Had 11 abortions.
Had an abortion of a seven month fetus and the doctor made her strangle it herself when it cried.
Given birth to twins in secret and sold them when she was 13.
Given birth and raised a child for 4 months until it was kidnapped.
Was completely sterile. Had hiv. Had chronic lyme. Had lupus. Had epilepsy. Had never had acne. F****d Weezer.
Had a hysterectomy in secret at 19.
M******d a woman who hit on her boyfriend and buried her in a landfill by hot wiring one of the machines.
Was sexually abused by- my father, both grandfather's, almost step-dad, three neighbors, 2 of my moms friends husbands, almost every boy in our friend group growing up, all of my exes, my husband, her husband, her husband's father, my brother in law, her teacher.
Had an iq of 170.
Knew who my dad's real dad was and had met his 10 siblings.
That my dad was inbred.
Only had 2 beers a day.
Made an appointment with the neurologist.
Had guillan barre from the covid vaccine not weirneke korsakoff.
Had pissed brown and s**t black her whole life.
#9
“If someone in your life is a compulsive liar, know that it’s not your job to fix them. Remember that some people who are pathological liars are dealing with underlying mental health conditions that need professional treatment,” Verywell Mind stresses.
So you, as a good friend, can support them by encouraging them to get mental health counseling. Don’t be judgmental, but at the same time, show them that you value honesty. Meanwhile, you can make it clear to them that you’re not willing to spend time with them if they won’t be open up and be honest with you.
#10
fifthelemenopee:
Damn, I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast; how the h**l do they keep all of that straight? Or do they just not care if they get caught out?
bever2:
In my experience, the first person a pathological liar deceives is themselves. Whatever words escape their mouths become true to them, even if it directly contradicts the sentence that came before it.
#12
He got fired for doing something that cost our company $2.5 Million bucks and lying about it. Even though he was on camera.
According to Forbes, based on recent research, the average person typically lied around 2.03 times per day. Honest people typically always told the truth or lied up to and including twice a day. Intermediate liars told 3 to 5 lies a day. And prolific liars told 6+ lies a day.
Based on the study, the absolute majority of the participants (74.7%) were considered to be honest people for most of the days (65.8%) that the survey was administered. An absolute minority (5.7%) of participants were prolific liars, for a small number (4%) of the days surveyed.
One issue? The study looked at self-reported data about lying behavior, meaning that some respondents may have been dishonest about their dishonesty. Poetic? Ironic? Poetically ironic? We think so.
#13
I don’t really talk to her anymore, for this situation and many, many others.
#14
#15
I knew from the get go that she was a pathological liar, but she had a lot of my friends fooled. I always warned them about her. She actually became obsessed with me because I didn’t like her, didn’t talk to her, and tried to warn people about her. She has tried to add me on Facebook easily 15 times in the last FIFTEEN YEARS, each time I decline it lol. She even tried to add my husband who she didn’t even know… Like girl…
I’ve noticed they tend to obsess over people not believing them. Their need for validation and approval is insane.
Choosing Therapy points out that you can classify liars into a wide number of categories. Some of these include:
- Occasional liars who lie only under certain conditions
- White liars who tell insignificant, small lies about things that don’t really matter all that much
- Compulsive liars who are similar to pathological liars and bend the truth due to social anxieties
- Prolific liars who get a ‘rush’ after lying and don’t feel distress or remorse
- Habitual liars have made lying part of their daily routine
#16
poopbutt42069yeehaw:
Security has some weird dudes in it. I knew one guy who was 20 but claimed to be an army combat vet that got medically separated. He would come up to you after chewing on his lip and be like “look it’s from ptsd and the crazy combat I was in, anyway later” and go do his routes. He got fired for freaking out on another contractor who just asked him “why are you lying?”, the guy that asked it was an army vet himself.
#17
#18
Have you ever had to deal with a pathological liar, dear Pandas? What were they like? What are the most outrageous lies that they have ever tried to get away with?
How often would you say that you lie on average every single day? What’s the last thing you lied about? Let us know in the comments below!
#19
Anyway! It was so creepy and uncomfortable. Because this guy was literally 18-19. Just some rich kid trying to feel cool and special I guess. 🤷🏻♀️.
#20
The craziest lie he ever told me wasn't exactly a lie. It was a story about something someone else had done. The person who had done it was me...
He tried to pass my own story off to me as his...