We tell lies for many reasons: to avoid punishment, save face, get our own way, and spare others' feelings. Most people lie once a day to a few times every 10 minutes. While both men and women lie about the same amount, men tend to exaggerate achievements and earnings, while women minimize weight and age. January is reported to be the month with the most lying, perhaps due to broken New Year's resolutions and excuses to avoid winter weather. Famous lies throughout history include those by Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon, and Bernie Madoff.

1. True Facts About Lies
We Are All Liars
Although we might not want to admit it, every single one of us is a liar, having started lying by the time
we were three years old.
Estimates of how often we lie range from as little as once a day to as much as two to three lies every 10
minutes.
Despite our expertise in telling lies, we are not so good at separating fact from fiction. Even if we know
which body language clues to watch for, we can typically only detect about 54% of lies.

2. Why We Lie
We might not like the idea of being untruthful, but we justify lying for the following reasons:
To shift blame and avoid punishment
To save face
To avoid conflict
To get our own way
To get out of doing something
To be nice or avoid hurting someone's feelings
To make ourselves look better -- for fear of rejection or in order to gain something
Because it's easier than telling the truth
Because we can get away with it
Types of Lies
Lying is so embedded in our social behavior that we have developed many different kinds of lies,
including:
Barefaced (or bold-faced) lies -- obvious lies
Big lies -- major lies
Bluffing -- pretending that you are going to do something or are capable of doing so
Bulls*** -- misleading nonsense
Contextual lies -- giving false impressions by only telling part of the truth
Exaggeration -- stretching the truth
Minimization -- the opposite of exaggeration
Fabrication -- representing something that is made up as the truth
Fib - an insignificant or minor lie
Half-truths -- lies that contains some element of truth
Lying by omission -- deception by leaving out important facts

3. Perjury -- lying under oath
Polite lies -- lie told to meet standards of politeness, such as "I really enjoyed the party," or declining
an invitation due to "scheduling difficulties."
White lies - small lies, sometimes considered harmless or tactful
Men's Lies vs Women's Lies
Although some studies suggest that men lie more than women, others find that men and women lie
about the same amount, but for different reasons.
Men's lies are often intended to make themselves look better to other people.
Women's lies frequently strive to make others feel better or to avoid hurt feelings.
Men commonly exaggerate their height and earnings.
Women commonly minimize their weight and age.
Men tend to feel less guilty about lying than women.

4. Pros and Cons of Lying
Pros:
People who exaggerate their achievements may actually end up fulfilling higher goals for
themselves.
People who lie to themselves may be happier than those who don't.
Frequent liars may be perceived as friendlier than those who are more prone to bluntly telling the
truth.
Cons:
Liars may feel guilty and fear getting caught.
People who frequently tell significant lies may wind up being viewed as untrustworthy.
Honesty is one of the characteristics we most value in others. We don't like being lied to and see it
as a betrayal.
Telling major lies may be bad for your health -- it speeds up your heart rate, raises your body
temperature, and makes you tense.

5. Worst Month For Lying
According to a poll, we are more prone to lie telling in January compared to other months of the
year. These lies may be about:
How celebrations were spent
Broken New Year's resolutions
Christmas gifts
Alcohol intake
Money spending
Being too sick to go to work on cold winter mornings
Excuses to avoid socializing in the cold weather

6. Famous Lies and Liars
There are little white lies, then there are giant whoppers. Here are some of the biggest lies of all
time:
Bill Clinton -- "I did not have sexual relations with that woman."
Richard Nixon -- "I'm not a crook."
George H W Bush -- "Read my lips: no new taxes."
Bernie Madoff -- admitted that his Ponzi scheme was "all just one big lie" after conning investors out
of approximately $50 billion
Charles Ponzi -- the original Ponzi schemer who raised millions by scamming investors
Janet Cooke -- won the Pulitzer prize for her report on an 8-year-old-heroin addict who didn't exist
James Frey -- Oprah Winfrey was not pleased when this author's memoir, A Million Little Pieces,
was revealed to contain fictional events
MilliVanilli -- had to return their Grammy after a lip-synched performance and the discovery that they
hadn't actually sung on their records
The Trojan Horse -- large wooden horse presented as a "peace offering" but actually containing
hidden Greek warriors
Elmyr de Hory -- forger of master artists, including Picasso
Victor Lustig -- con man who "sold" the Eiffel Tower for a suitcase of money
Benedict Arnold -- traitor of the American Revolutionary War
Anna Anderson -- claimed she was Princess Anastasia of the Russian royal Romanov family and
that she had escaped execution in 1918
Frank Abagnale -- fraudulent check casher who posed as a pediatrician, attorney, college professor,
and even as an airline pilot
Kenneth Lay - Enron chairman who convinced investors that the company earned billions more per
year than it actually did
Rosie Ruiz -- first woman to win the Boston marathon but who actually only ran the last half mile and
had previously taken the subway during the New York marathon

7. Common Lies
Many lies are repeated countless times daily all around the world. How many of these popular lies have
you told?
"I'm fine, thanks."
"I haven't had too much to drink."
"Nothing's wrong -- I'm fine."
"No, your butt doesn't look big in that."
"I had no signal on my phone."
"Nice to see you."
"You're looking great."
"I've got a headache."
"It's not you -- it's me."
"My battery died."
"The check is in the mail."

8. "I'll call you."
"This is delicious."
"We're just good friends."
"She's in a meeting."
"I never got the message."
"It was on sale."
"I can quit anytime I want."
"I'm not ready for a relationship."
"I lost it."
"I'm too sick to come in."
"Sorry, I'm busy that night."
Movie Watching Lies

9. According to a British poll, four out of five people lie about what movies they've seen, in order to
impress.
Apparently, the top movies people don't want to admit they haven't watched are:
The Godfather
Casablanca
Taxi Driver
2001: A Space Odyssey
Reservoir Dogs
This Is Spinal Tap
Apocalypse Now
Goodfellas
Blade Runner
The Great Escape