1. They’re Afraid to Tell the Truth

Among the most common reasons why people lie is of course, the fact that most people are afraid to tell the truth, and I’m sure you’re all familiar with this too. I also have this problem and I must confess that I find it rather hard to tell the truth if by doing that, I might hurt somebody’s feelings or even cause some potentially aggressive reactions from them. I’m still working on finding the courage to say things just as they are and I’m sure I’ll eventually succeed in doing it without having any remorse. If you’re facing the same problem, you should do it too and see that you’ve got nothing to be afraid of.

2. They Wanna Avoid Responsibility

Another very common reason why most people lie nowadays is because they wanna avoid all responsibility regarding their actions. Sometimes, if you admit you made a mistake, you will have to fix it and you may not know how. So, in that situation, you might be tempted to think it’s better to just lie and let somebody else take the blame and solve the problem you’ve caused. Well, it’s not quite ethical and you should learn to take care of your own mess if you wanna be treated as an adult.

3. They Wanna Be Liked

This may come as a surprise for you, but there are quite a few people out there who lie because they think this is the best thing to do in order to be liked by everyone else. I know it sounds a little bit weird and stupid, but let’s face it: haven’t you ever had the tendency to embellish things so they would seem more interesting and to attract the sympathy of your friends?

4. To Avoid Punishment

Another very common reason why most people lie nowadays is of course to avoid punishment. I must admit that I did that too when I was a child, because it’s the easy way to get out of trouble. It’s not the right way though. You should learn to take responsibility for your actions and face the consequences of your deeds. Lying is not the answer and definitely not the solution.

5. They Don’t Wanna Hurt Other People

Studies show that most people who choose to lie in certain situations, do it because they wanna avoid hurting other people’s feelings and especially because they don’t wanna disappoint their loved ones. It’s hard to admit the truth, especially when you have so many expectations put on yourself, and because you’re under so much pressure, you can easily tend to lie in order to protect other people’s feelings and even your own. In the long term, this is not the best thing to do; it’s better to just be honest even with the risk of breaking somebody’s heart.

6. To Get Benefits

It’s not such a big secret for anyone that there are quite a lot of people who lie just to get different benefits. Maybe you’ve all been tempted to lie a bit or to embellish some details in your resume when you went on a job interview because you might have thought that it could lend you your dream job. The lure of all kinds of benefits or advantages (at work or in their personal life) can also prompt people to lie. In the end, it’s a matter of choice and staying true to yourself and to your values.

7. To Influence People

No matter how tempting it may sound, you shouldn’t lie just to prove a point or to influence somebody’s decisions. This is never a solution. That person will eventually find out about your lie and you’ll lose all your credibility. It’s better to just be honest and accept the fact that there might be someone who will not agree with you and that no matter what you do, you can’t change their opinion. Learn to accept it and move on; don’t lie, because lying is never the answer.

There are a lot of reasons why people lie. Some just do it for the sake of it, without having a particular purpose in mind. Do you know any other pretty stupid reason why people lie? Please share your opinion with us!