The invention of lying probably dates back to the invention of communication itself. It can be said that lying is, in fact, a basic need for social existence.
A lie can serve a lot of purposes. We take a look upon the most common reasons for which people resort to lying.
1. To Please
In order to maintain the pleasantness of any social situation, people have to lie. Questions like ‘How do I look?’, ‘Am I getting Fat?’ or ‘Did you like my gift?’ are bound to fetch lies.
2. To Save Your Own Face
You have got to accept that there are certain truths about everyone that are best kept hidden. It is much easier to simply lie than to share embarrassing truths about oneself.
3. To Avoid Favours
The percentage of people who are always on the ready to help is fairly low. Most of the population would simply lie rather than actually be of use to somebody else.
4. To Avoid Long Conversations
Sometime truth can invite a long discourse of unneeded advice, further questions or criticism. The crisis of time is universal to all people and some people have no other option than lying to avoid long conversations.
5. To Boast
Though these lies are more or less harmless, they are way too common. Some people have this need to feel better about themselves which they try to suffice by painting a better picture of themselves in front of others.
6. To Get Benefits
It is no secret that everyone lies a little bit in an interview or to get an interview. The lure of other worldly things and benefits can also prompt people to lie.
7. To Evade Punishment
This point needs no explanation as we all lied to our teachers in school to avoid punishment. People lie to their superiors, parents or spouse to avoid any kind of punishment or penalty.
8. To Gel In
The social needs of people often make them tell lies. Many people succumb to peer pressure and fabricate lies about themselves just to fit in better.
9. To Prove a Point
Some adamant people may easily