People who CAN'T lie

[TransformerRobot]

What are the chances of there being a human being who can't tell a lie, in any way, no matter how hard they try? If so, would they classify it as genetic or mental disorder?

 

Then there's the situation of what advantages/disadvantages of never being able to lie. If you're trying to protect a friend's privacy (embarrassing habits or interests), not everyone will know right away to simply tell them "I'm not allowed to say.". Or even government secrets for your country from their enemies.

 

Maybe it would allow for easier marriages between 2 people, I know that would be more likely.

[Xittenn]

Alcoholism is a disinhibitory disorder that often promotes the individual to be a little more truthful than the average human being. When you include tourettes I think the possibility of such a patient might become even more probabilistic. However, confining the disorder to an inability to lie as being an only symptom is more improbabilistic. To be solely incapable of lying would be more a learned characteristic. I guess another possible tie in here would be OCD, but again it would manifest in a more broad fashion.

[Joatmon]

An important step in assessing a child's development is when they tell a lie which is to their advantage. A child that doesn't do that at around age 3 probably has development problems. It seems to me that someone who never lies but always tells the truth might find him/herself in difficulties at times. e.g. "Does my bum look big in this?". http://www.scholastic.com/resources/article/the-truth-about-lying

[insane_alien]

"Does my bum look big in this?"

 

From extensive testing of this question in real life situations, there is no correct answer to this. The only option is to go for the response which cause you the least amount of grief.

[dimreepr]

What are the chances of there being a human being who can't tell a lie, in any way, no matter how hard they try? If so, would they classify it as genetic or mental disorder?

 

Then there's the situation of what advantages/disadvantages of never being able to lie. If you're trying to protect a friend's privacy (embarrassing habits or interests), not everyone will know right away to simply tell them "I'm not allowed to say.". Or even government secrets for your country from their enemies.

 

Maybe it would allow for easier marriages between 2 people, I know that would be more likely.

 

 

Certain types of autism can manifest this inability and yes it can cause problems, especially when s/he doesn’t appear to have any other social issues. Having been a carer for people with learning difficulties, I have seen firsthand how this can lead to quite difficult social issues, and without my intervention could have easily lead to violence.

 

 

[Joatmon]

From extensive testing of this question in real life situations, there is no correct answer to this. The only option is to go for the response which cause you the least amount of grief.

 

Which, for a large part of the time at least in my experience, is probably to lie! lol

 

 

 

[TransformerRobot]

Certain types of autism can manifest this inability and yes it can cause problems, especially when s/he doesn't appear to have any other social issues. Having been a carer for people with learning difficulties, I have seen firsthand how this can lead to quite difficult social issues, and without my intervention could have easily lead to violence.

 

Does it lead to tourrettes? I've never heard of tourrettes leading to an inability to tell lies.

[dimreepr]

Does it lead to tourrettes? I've never heard of tourrettes leading to an inability to tell lies.

 

 

No tourrettes is an entirely different condition, it tends to lead the sufferer to blurt out the most inappropriate statement when it isn't a physical tick.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

No tourrettes is an entirely different condition, it tends to lead the sufferer to blurt out the most inappropriate statement when it isn't a physical tick.

This is only a symptom in roughly 10% of Tourette's cases; generally, Tourette's syndrome is characterized by physical and verbal tics which are not necessarily obscene or inappropriate.

 

Complex vocalisations include syllables, phrases, echolalia (repetition of other people's words), palilalia (repetition of one's own words), or coprolalia (uttering of obscene words). Coprolalia, one of the most distressing and recognisable symptoms, occurs in only about 10% of patients.

 

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1474442205010124

[Appolinaria]

What are the chances of there being a human being who can't tell a lie, in any way, no matter how hard they try? If so, would they classify it as genetic or mental disorder?

 

Then there's the situation of what advantages/disadvantages of never being able to lie. If you're trying to protect a friend's privacy (embarrassing habits or interests), not everyone will know right away to simply tell them "I'm not allowed to say.". Or even government secrets for your country from their enemies.

 

Maybe it would allow for easier marriages between 2 people, I know that would be more likely.

 

I'd think people who have a hard time interpreting body language, etc. might have a harder time lying than the average person. In order to lie well, you have to be able to draw an accurate picture of who you're lying to and the situation. Many disorders lack normal social skills.

[TransformerRobot]

I'd think people who have a hard time interpreting body language, etc. might have a harder time lying than the average person. In order to lie well, you have to be able to draw an accurate picture of who you're lying to and the situation. Many disorders lack normal social skills.

 

Oh, I forgot about physical signs.

 

That must be where television shows got the idea of certain characters twitching when they're not telling the truth.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

One of Oliver Sacks's books discusses what happens when people who have difficulty understanding language watch Reagan give a speech -- they depend on body language to grasp the words, and end up in hysterics, because the Reagans's body language was so fake.

 

http://adoredbyhordes.blogspot.com/2008/06/dr.html

 

So apparently it can be difficult to lie to people with brain damage.

[Phi for All]

"Does my bum look big in this?"

 

From extensive testing of this question in real life situations, there is no correct answer to this. The only option is to go for the response which cause you the least amount of grief.

 

What about, "Baby, your bum makes THAT look fantastic!"

[Appolinaria]

One of Oliver Sacks's books discusses what happens when people who have difficulty understanding language watch Reagan give a speech -- they depend on body language to grasp the words, and end up in hysterics, because the Reagans's body language was so fake.

 

http://adoredbyhorde...2008/06/dr.html

 

So apparently it can be difficult to lie to people with brain damage.

 

That's interesting, thanks.

[insane_alien]

What about, "Baby, your bum makes THAT look fantastic!"

 

The reply was 'so your saying i have crap fashion sense?'

 

again, no right answer.

[Jesse Jhon Andrews]

If I were to lie about telling the truth, just so I could pretend that I was lying, then I wouldn’t be able to tell the truth, because I am incapable of lying. Yet if I were to tell the truth about a lie, just so I could feel what the thought of a lie felt like, then I could easily pretend to lie while only speaking the truth. The problem though is not in the pretending of either truth or lie, rather it is within the reality of knowing the difference. I am therefore compelled by a choice not my own to always speak the truth, while it remains my own choice to linger on telling the truth about lies so that I may feel closer to that which I normally would never had known the thought and feeling of. This allows me to feel normal within myself when literally everyone else I have ever met thrives on deception of self and others. I have no social circles for I am too direct to pretend interest in manipulative controls to create meaningless small-talk in order to simply pass the time of boredom like everyone else I have met does. I find such behaviors as being a sickness and end up feeling that I am a lone survivor of the deception gene; till my latter days of my adulthood, and then I started thinking everyone else to be normal and my Self to be the sick one. After all, who wants to be faced with the cold harshness of truth all the time. It has been my experience that truth-tellers are truth-thinkers. And truth-hoarders are the deceptive thinkers. And then there is the intense and relentless anxiety of always feeling isolated and alone with no one to share commonality with on any level of thought or emotion. This leads to further depression and more anxiety. To this day I remain single by force of whatever we choose to call this condition, if it can even be surmised as a condition at all. For me it started back when I was a six and one half years old. Yet it didn’t start with: knowledge about good or bad; or right vs. wrong; or truth vs. lie; rather, it started with paranormal abilities that at the time I nor my parents knew to call paranormal abilities. I do not desire to bore any of you with my entire history. I simply desired to share with you from one you speak about as if we cannot or do not exist unless there be some underlying mental psychosis of some kind. [Once-a-liar-always-a-liar] I have yet to experience the ability of once occurring. Though I remain hopeful that one day my will power will enable me to be like the majority. Maybe then I will no longer be single, a loner, and anxiety ridden with depression from being a social outcast, due to not being able to pretend the truth neath some smile of deception. Perhaps one day I will find that person that actually values truth speakers and will grow to rely on me rather than detest me at every turn. Perhaps that thought alone makes me delusional.

[TheGeckomancer]

Lying is a sign of intelligence. Lying is the act of using your imagination to construct a false reality close enough to the original to be believable, for self gain, it's one of the highest standards of intellect. Sociopaths, and high IQ people both are generally shown to be better liars. Additionally, kids who lie younger tend to be more successful in life. Speaking only truth just makes you a computer, capable of reciting information. Lying shows comprehension and the ability to mix information in different ways. Frankly, a person who could speak only truth would be very handicapped in society and would definitely be suffering from some brain defects. Whether or not you consider those defects a bad thing is subjective but I bet they would also have problems with imagination and maybe critical thinking. There aren't any advantages I can think of. I can always choose to tell the truth, and choose to lie. I can't see any advantage to giving up one of those options. I try to lie as little as possible for several reasons; it takes more mental energy, you have to commit memory if it's an ongoing lie, it makes me feel worse, and the more often you do it the less credible you are (I prefer my lies to be rare and believed). But using it rarely is not the same as never. Even choosing to never lie is not the same as not being able to.

[John Cuthber]

Lying is a sign of intelligence.

Not if it's obvious.

Successful lying may well be a sign of intelligence.

[TheGeckomancer]

Not if it's obvious.

Successful lying may well be a sign of intelligence.

 

Even attempting to lie is a sign of intelligence. Success is just a sign of more intelligence.

[overtone]

Lizards - crocodiles and Komodo dragons and possibly others - act so as to intentionally deceive prey.

 

So lizard level intelligence is enough.

 

Whether or not they know they are lying, what exactly self-knowledge of lying comprises, is one of those questions.

Edited December 9, 2015 by overtone

[Blessedbears]

Personally Lying makes me sick. I feel physically Ill when I do. There are physical signs and I turn bright red too. I often make it a point to be honest but have also learned that I do not owe someone an answer for why I am saying yes or no. I think some people may have been harmed when a child and so for lying might have been abused..so they today do not do it. I say neurological.

[AngelicAlibis]

There are! There's ME! I found this forum whilst searching to see what makes me that way, or if there are others like me! Now, I would not say I cannot lie under any circumstances. If it's a knee bang reaction like,
"Did you eat my cookie???"
"No!"
"Are you lying?"
"...Yes."

That may happen occasionally, but if I have to think about it I cannot do it. I have a theory about it but I'm not an expert. I have PTSD and social anxiety. I often get nervous when I have to talk. I hate confrontations, and I'm very impulsive with my speech. Also if I lied I would stress over the possibility of being caught, so I know it's easier for me just to be honest.

Edited September 21, 2016 by AngelicAlibis

[koti]

AngelicAlibis, my unprofessional diagnosis is that as to lying, you sound like a perfectly healthy human without any symptoms of dissorder. Sociopaths or trained professionals can have it differently but in general, most people give physical signs of lying and preffer not to lie. Unless we are talking about a life thretening situation which the OP might have had in mind. Hypotheticaly, if your life or the life of a dear person to you would be at stake, would you have second thoughts about giving a harmless lie? I think this is what the OP means, an extreme, hypothetical situation in which a man cant deny that he ate a cookie while his life is at stake.

Edited September 21, 2016 by koti

[OhayJosh]

Lying is a personal choice, isn't it? I would think to lose the ability to lie would be to lose the ability of personal choice. Is there such a thing?

[Falcorian]

On ‎9‎/‎21‎/‎2016 at 3:18 PM, AngelicAlibis said:

There are! There's ME! I found this forum whilst searching to see what makes me that way, or if there are others like me! Now, I would not say I cannot lie under any circumstances. If it's a knee bang reaction like,
"Did you eat my cookie???"
"No!"
"Are you lying?"
"...Yes."

That may happen occasionally, but if I have to think about it I cannot do it. I have a theory about it but I'm not an expert. I have PTSD and social anxiety. I often get nervous when I have to talk. I hate confrontations, and I'm very impulsive with my speech. Also if I lied I would stress over the possibility of being caught, so I know it's easier for me just to be honest.

In response to this:  No.  You're not alone.  I came here for much the same reason.  Yes, we can lie, but the anxiety that accompanies such things can be so overwhelming that we'll eventually blurt out the truth whether we want to or not.  I only say we because I see some similarities, but I can't know for certain if it's the same thing. 

I recently got myself into serious trouble because I said that I would do something (without truly understanding what it entailed).  Going through the process, I felt like I was in over my head, but I kept going through with it because I said that I would, and I couldn't go back on my word.  I honestly don't know what causes something like this.  Sure, there's some abuse in my past (siblings), but I can't recall anything having to do with lying.  There might be brain damage (auto accident when I was very young).  I would think that it would have manifested closer to the accident (it's been going on since high school).  I started noticing this around puberty (high school).  At the same time I developed social anxiety (but what teenager hasn't?) and some other issues.  I think it might be chemical (neurological) in nature.  I just can't get anyone to run any sort of test.  You tell someone that you can't lie, and you get two reactions.  1.  They don't believe you.  2.  They applaud you and then ignore it.

If you think about it, if there's a compulsory liar, then there must be the opposite.  We probably fit into that category, but since medical science doesn't consider the truth to be bad, no one wants to think about it.  Truth is good.  It's the compulsion that's a problem.