Pants on Fire

...if only it were that easy.


Remove the moral turpitude from lying and one is left with its pragmatic applications, instinctive methods of deception to perpetuate survival. We've been lying as long as we've been communicating. 


As a result, lie detection is highly contextual, making it sophisticated and difficult, but possible.


Contextual circumstances include:
  • Expectations
  • Consequences
  • Target
  • Motives
  1. Avoid punishment
  2. Protect from harm
  3. Obtain reward for self
  4. Protect another
  5. Win admiration
  6. Get out of awkward situations
  7. Save face
  8. Maintain Privacy
  9. Power
  10. Fulfill social expectations
  11. Fun
Types of Lies
Falsifying
Concealing


Low-Stakes Lies 
  • Quotidien conversation
  • Self-presentation
  • Dating
  • Flattery and Ingratiation
  • Games and Sports
  • Magic


High-Stakes Lies
Cognitive and Emotional Processes


Blood Relatives of Lying
  • Equivocation
  • Contextomy
  • Spin
  • Bullshit
  • Doublespeak:
  • Euphemisms
  • Jargon
  • Bureaucratese
  • Inflated language

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