The verbal skills and intelligence of pathological liars were mostly similar or at times better as compared to non-pathological liars. Science of Pathological LyingĪ study revealed that pathological liars tend to have increased white matter in the brain when compared with non-pathological liars.

This condition can affect their relationship with everyone close to them such as their partners, parents, children, employees, bosses or friends. They look at a situation from their perspective and disregard the consequences entirely. If exposed, a pathological liar may have difficulty admitting the truth. They continue to lie even at the cost of damaging their own reputation. In many cases, pathological liars cannot function without telling lies. What is a Pathological Liar?Ī pathological liar is someone who lies all the time compulsively with or without any apparent purpose or personal gain. Such people usually come from an emotionally unstable environment, have difficulty coping with feelings of anxiety & shame, or have low self-esteem. For them, lying seems more comfortable and convenient than telling the truth. If a person lies out of habit and cannot control this behaviour, they are considered pathological liars. At this stage, the nature of lying becomes pathological. It may even become detrimental to everyday life. Although lying is developmentally normal in children wherein they may lie to escape a situation or lie to get something, the problem begins when the lying becomes persistent. Therefore the consensus is that, in most cases, lying begins in childhood or adolescence and continues throughout a person’s life. Pathological lying is common in both men and women. However, such a condition can be a symptom of depression, anxiety, psychopathy, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder or narcissistic personality disorder. Otherwise known as mythomania or pseudologia fantastica, pathological lying is a mental disorder in which someone lies habitually or compulsively. There is no psychiatric definition of a pathological liar. Understanding Pathological Liars and Compulsive Lying Disorder If not treated, pathological lying can result in a mental health condition known as Compulsive Lying Disorder. When a person lies effortlessly and those lies come naturally to them instead of the truth, it is often recognized as pathological lying.

While we all lie occasionally, there is a difference between an occasional liar and a pathological liar. Most of you may have read William Shakespeare’s quote, “no legacy is so rich as honesty”, yet we sometimes choose to lie.

Pathological liars