To spot a lie- in honor of Poetry month
by Eimy Sarduy, Junior, IPreparatory Academy
by Eimy Sarduy, Junior, IPreparatory Academy
There are many types of lies and each one varies in degree of truth. And, while most strive to be honest, it would be foolish to think that people do not have to lie at some point in life. Of course, that does not mean that someone won’t get caught in a lie. In fact, it’s actually quite easy to spot a liar.
Almost all lies are based on some degree of truth, but the trick is to look for the truth within the lie. After studying Forensic Science and Psychology, it is common for interrogators to ask people to repeat statements, and while performing investigations, a common tactic is to ask people to tell the story backwards. They also look for subtle cues from the teller’s body that would indicate untruthfulness, which include sweating, a rise in voice, a delayed reaction, and fidgeting. So, these are reasons that little white lies are the most you should ever try to tell. |
Even lies can be found in literature. One of the more famous poems about lies is Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 138”
When my love swears that she is made of truth,
I do believe her, though I know she lies,
That she might think me some untutored youth,
Unlearned in the world’s false subtleties.
Thus vainly thinking that she thinks me young,
Although she knows my days are past the best,
Simply I credit her false-speaking tongue:
On both sides thus is simple truth suppressed.
But wherefore says she not she is unjust?
And wherefore say not I that I am old?
Oh, love’s best habit is in seeming trust,
And age in love loves not to have years told.
Therefore I lie with her and she with me,
And in our faults by lies we flattered be.
I do believe her, though I know she lies,
That she might think me some untutored youth,
Unlearned in the world’s false subtleties.
Thus vainly thinking that she thinks me young,
Although she knows my days are past the best,
Simply I credit her false-speaking tongue:
On both sides thus is simple truth suppressed.
But wherefore says she not she is unjust?
And wherefore say not I that I am old?
Oh, love’s best habit is in seeming trust,
And age in love loves not to have years told.
Therefore I lie with her and she with me,
And in our faults by lies we flattered be.
Shakespeare makes the audience realize that liars are easily caught, even if the liar may think the person they deceive is naive-- even when the liar reveals a lie by omission. The speaker in the poem also lies to the woman by not revealing that he knows the truth about her fabrication. He says that he does “believe her” even though he “know[s] she lies.” In other words, he abets her attempt at deception even though he did spot the false truth. And, ironically, her lie, drives him to lie. So, it can be assumed that lying only leads to more deception and that continues until honesty is but a distant dream.
![Picture](/uploads/3/8/4/3/38437285/pasted-image-0-4.png?250)
A truth within a lie isn’t hard to find, so why lie?
People lie because sometimes the truth hurts more than the lie. People lie to themselves to rationalize away their pain, and they lie to others to spare their feelings. And, most of the time, all people tell are small lies to avoid making others feel bad, which is why it should come as no surprise to learn that women are told more white lies than men. [1]
Science Daily, citing new research by Lily Jampol, Ph.D. '14, and Vivian Zayas, associate professor of psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences, shows that women are more prone “to be given inaccurate performance feedback.” Jampol justifies her argument by saying that “White lies are told to preserve relationships [and] avoid harming the other person” which is another way of saying that women are lied to more often to spare their feelings. And, ironically, in order to do that people believe that the considerate thing for a person to do is lie, which if found out, can hurt them even more.
Of course, that doesn’t mean everyone should start to lie; it means that people should know when to make the distinction on when to lie and when not to lie. A polite lie is usually harmless and sometimes, not all the time, helpful, but a big lie can cause a lot of problems. So, remember, if lying, lie small because, despite what most think, a lie is actually quite easy to spot.
People lie because sometimes the truth hurts more than the lie. People lie to themselves to rationalize away their pain, and they lie to others to spare their feelings. And, most of the time, all people tell are small lies to avoid making others feel bad, which is why it should come as no surprise to learn that women are told more white lies than men. [1]
Science Daily, citing new research by Lily Jampol, Ph.D. '14, and Vivian Zayas, associate professor of psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences, shows that women are more prone “to be given inaccurate performance feedback.” Jampol justifies her argument by saying that “White lies are told to preserve relationships [and] avoid harming the other person” which is another way of saying that women are lied to more often to spare their feelings. And, ironically, in order to do that people believe that the considerate thing for a person to do is lie, which if found out, can hurt them even more.
Of course, that doesn’t mean everyone should start to lie; it means that people should know when to make the distinction on when to lie and when not to lie. A polite lie is usually harmless and sometimes, not all the time, helpful, but a big lie can cause a lot of problems. So, remember, if lying, lie small because, despite what most think, a lie is actually quite easy to spot.
Work Cited
1. Cornell University. "Women are told more white lies in evaluations than men." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 May 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200519115914.htm>.