Maybe what you’re hearing isn’t categorical information. You could be a victim of an illusion of truth.
The truth is the truth and a lie is a lie, right? Well, it can get a little blurry at times. Yes, we all have trouble telling the truth from lies, but sometimes that’s because we’re dealing with manipulators.
To make matters worse, liars and manipulators use the illusion of truth to convince us that what they say or omit is true. Their tactics seem to be working better than ever.
What is the illusion of truth?
An illusion of truth is not just a statement in a sentence describing how someone deceived you.
Psychologist Tom Stafford has shared a secret about this illusion. He says the secret to avoiding lies is to avoid repetition. Yes, some of the best liars and manipulators use repetition to instill a kind of familiarity in the brain. What seems familiar often seems sincere, don’t you think?
This way of thinking is formulated by the illusion of the truth effect. It works by comparing the truth with the lie, by changing only a small part of the lie to resemble a second truth.
Let’s look at an example. The truth will be, “a brown penny,” and the lie will be, “a brown dime.” I think this is a bit obvious, but it can easily be skewed if the coin happens to get smeared or covered by something. This would be a false breeze.
Now, back to repetition. If you’ve been told a lie about coins over and over again, you might believe it, especially if your perception is wrong.
However, it would be easier to fool someone by duplicating using fruits or vegetables. You can convince someone that peanuts grow on trees if you repeat it enough and don’t show anything to prove otherwise. I think this is how politicians pass lies for truth for so long and develop a huge following.
Now, this effect may be interesting, but in the worst hands, it can be disastrous for the lives of honest people. When toxic people, like manipulators, learn the ability to lie in this way, they can lie in all sorts of ways.
These are the ways manipulators use the illusion of truth:
Rationalization
Some people are easily persuaded and manipulated by people who use justification. When it comes to lying, justification is a way to hide the inner lie.
For example, if you confront someone about their behavior, they may try to justify why it happened. If an object is found missing in a man’s coat pocket, he may never admit that he stole the item. Alternatively, he might say something like this,
“Oh, I don’t know how that got there. I let a friend of mine use my coat when they came over.”
The fact is that the guy stole the thing, maybe a subtraction or even money. He shifts the blame to an unknown friend and then justifies how the piece got into his pocket.
Perhaps that same person will use the same strategy whenever they are caught in the act. No matter what he did wrong, he justifies and shows that there is a completely honest reason for what happened.
Zoom out
This tactic that shows how the illusion of truth can be used often focuses on making true lies seem like nothing.
Many people lie about where they are or what they are doing. When their loved ones or partners find out the truth, they try to minimize the situation, as if it’s no big deal. The only thing to say when faced with someone lying about being at a concert is,
“It’s no big deal. I just don’t want you to worry about me being in this big crowd.”
Whether or not that was the real reason is still a lie, and usually when someone does it once, they always do it and always will continue to do it as long as it doesn’t get better. A lie is a lie, no matter how small. This, we must remember.
the amount
Have you ever heard someone you love tell a story, only to later hear a lot of what they left out? The part they let go of, yeah, that part was the part they knew would make you feel bad. To keep you happy with them, they omitted part of their story. Do you know what this is? He’s a liar.
Yes, I am sorry to inform you, but the omission is false, just like telling a blatant lie. If you have information that you intentionally withhold, you are doing nothing less than hiding the truth from the people you love.
It is a prime example of the illusion we have been given the place of truth. It is as if important information has become invisible.
to convince
There are methods of persuasion that can make lies seem like truth. Persuasion creates an illusion by thinking and talking about one’s good reputation. When lies sound attractive, they also begin to sound like truth, depending on how much persuasion is used and in what way.
For example, if a person talks and says many good things, it is easier to believe that he is going to be sincere. Unfortunately, these are the ones who lie the most sometimes. Good deeds and persuasive speech are two ways to cover up their heinous deeds.
Don’t be fooled
I’ll be honest with you, I think I’ve been dealing with most of these tactics in my life right now. I will keep quiet about people who do this. In any case, the illusion of what appears to be real is so similar to the real thing that you could go years before you learn the truth behind the lie.
The best way to know when the illusion of truth is being used against you is to learn and watch for the signs. Many red flags will help you to be alert and prepared for lies. When it does happen, it’s up to you whether or not to tolerate the disrespect.
