Did you know that the long-term effects of lying can seriously harm our mental health?
Whether you’ve been told that your butt doesn’t look great in that outfit, or that your partner has been unfaithful behind your back; We’ve all been lied to at some point in our lives.
A little white lie designed to protect your feelings is arguably very different from an outright lie from a cheating spouse. Or him?
Research suggests it’s not about the trivial nature or importance of lying. We suffer from the psychological effects of being lied to, no matter what the lie.
8 Psychological effects of lying
- You lose confidence
Trust, whether intimate or professional, is crucial to maintaining any relationship. Catching someone lying erodes that trust. You can forgive them once, or even twice. However, if it becomes habitual, it slowly changes the relationship.
Whereas before you automatically believed this person, now you start looking for the lies. You will definitely stop trusting them, after all, they cannot be trusted. This is one of the most popular sound effects for lying to you.
- You lose trust in the person/system
One study, in particular, highlighted the impact that lying from political leaders or managers has on the general public. Participants recorded their confidence levels after revealing the lie. The results showed, perhaps unsurprisingly, that participants were less likely to trust the person who lied.
The study also examined how participants felt about the type of lie. For example, did the lying benefit the country or the company, or was it for personal gain? The study showed that trust levels were lowest when the lie was beneficial to the person.
- You feel disrespected
Honesty in a relationship shows a level of respect. You can share viewpoints that may differ, but that doesn’t change the way you feel about that person, you value that person enough to be honest with them. You are confident enough to trust them.
We all deserve the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it is to hear. Once you know the truth, you can make an informed decision; For example, do you want to stay in the relationship? If someone lies to you, it indicates their irresponsibility in facing any consequences.
- You question other relationships
Being lied to has a huge impact on your other relationships. Maybe other people in your life are telling you about pork and you’re gullible enough to believe them. You start guessing or scrutinizing people when they talk to you.
Does their story seem plausible? Do the facts need to be checked? Is this another person you have to confront? You become suspicious of people you used to trust. All because someone else lied to you.
- You are on high alert
Trust allows for a simple state of affairs in a relationship. When you completely trust your partner, you can relax, knowing that no matter what happens, you will get the truth. Lying has the opposite effect.
Instead of being calm, the effects of lying put you on constant high alert. Change your actions. You may doubt everything they say. You might start checking them out; Looking at their text messages or internet browsing history.
- You ask yourself
Lying repeatedly drains our self-esteem. Why is this person lying? Why do they think they can get away with it? Why don’t they respect you so much? These kind of questions eat away at your self-confidence.
Is there something wrong with you that makes people act this way around you? You start to feel devalued and foolish for believing it in the first place.
- You are easily motivated in future relationships
If a significant other has lied to you in the past, it makes you skeptical about future partners. After all, you trusted this person and he cheated on you. How can you make sure this won’t happen again?
For some people, the idea of being lied to is worse than the actual thing they are being lied to about. You feel cheated as if someone has got you. Now, in the present, you question everything and take nothing for granted.
- You begin to lose empathy for people
The long-term effects of lying eventually make you immune to people’s feelings. She is pained by tales of woe that she suspects are not true. Your compassion and empathy diminish over time.
You can also start putting up barriers. You don’t want to know about people’s problems if there is a possibility that they are lying.
Why do people lie if it has such a harmful effect?
It is clear that lying has a harmful psychological effect on us, but that is not all. One study showed that lying less is associated with better health. So why do people lie, and what can we do about it?
