Lying With Age
Shireen Zulparquear discusses why we lie and how the amount we lie changes with age.
From questionable student accounts of a homework-devouring dog to the complex ribbons of mistruths weaved through infamous political campaigns, lying is a component of human speech that appears everywhere in society.
Research suggests that as humans age from infants to adults, their propensity to lie and capacity to do so well increases enormously.
Research suggests that as humans age from infants to adults, their propensity to lie and capacity to do so well increases enormously. This may be due to the development of the brain’s prefrontal cortex, allowing individuals to recognise situations where an advantage may be gained through fibbing and to conjure up a convincing story.
However, studies also imply that this tendency and ability to lie decreases in the later stages of adulthood. This may be the result of increased social status and stability gained with age, which reduces the desire to lie in order to impress or entertain. It may also be a simple case of ‘with age comes experience’, where the consequences one has endured from having lies discovered at a younger age discourages lying later in life.
