An article in the New York Times reviews new research on how the brain reacts to lies. Essentially, when someone continues to lie, “the negative emotional signals initially associated with lying decrease as the brain becomes desensitized.”
Why big liars often start out as small ones, on NYTimes.com.
The story did not say that the research had anything to do with personality disorders. But it certainly makes sense with sociopaths — the more they lie, the easier it becomes, and they tell more lies.
And then there’s this sociopaths like the sense of power and control that they experience when people believe their lies. So not only does the negative reinforcement fade, but the positive reinforcement of winning escalates.
Maybe it’s like an addiction in order to get the same rush, they have to tell bigger lies. Now that’s scary.
Yikes.
That speaks volumes.
now, years later, I wonder what he DIDNT tell me (lies by omission) as much as lies by commission (lies he actually did say). I know, now, that he did feed me crumbs and pieces of truths..and as time went on, the truths became fewer and farther, the lies got bigger.
This is a good one and very true. Everytime he spoke it was a lie. He once Told me he had 2 houses ( one in savannah ga and the other somewhere in sc) and got a job working at a nuclear plant. Big lies! He will never work at a nuclear plant because his criminal record is out of this world! And the house deal!? He never lived and does not live in savannah, he only has an old house in SC that his brother lives in that and his otr trucking is all he will have. No business will ever hire him and any house he stays in will belong to a woman not him and not her and him together just her!!! Everything he makes money wise he doesn’t keep as it seems he has to give it back to someone because of his swindling con jobs!
Everyone has told social lies. “No I didn’t see your message that you called.” when in truth, you didn’t answer when you saw who was calling b/c you wanted to finish your nap.
I remember when I realized my ex lied to me, and when I realized that lie, I then realized he’d been lying ALOT. I was upset asked him WHY did he do that? And his reply was cold, snide: “Because you keep asking questions I don’t want to answer.” It was probably one of the few truthful answers I ever got from him.
Sadly, I was still too blind to understand the depth of his contempt for me. I thought it was MY job to make him feel safe enough to tell me the truth… that it was MY failing that made him lie to me. But… in my defense I didn’t know about sociopaths then. I do now.