While acting in this manner makes no sense to most of us, it is essentially impossible for people with Asperger's. "What's clear," Dike said, "is that it's not uncommon." "The next day, there is some new story," said Dike.Īnecdotally, many of us will recognize this sort of behavior, though at present there are no good statistics for the prevalence of pathological lying. As the day goes on and the coworker remains in the office, he adds to the lie by announcing that the flight was cancelled. The co-worker is not trying to shirk a meeting, however. "Not only is there no benefit to the lies, but the lies most of the time are easily disprovable," said Dike.ĭike offers an example of a coworker declaring he has a flight later that day. Stranger still, the lies can be blatantly see-through in their bogusness.
Dropping flagrant whoppers can cause trouble in jobs, relationships and even with the law through self-incriminations. What puzzles most about a pathological liar's behavior, Dike said, is that it is counterproductive. In psychiatric circles, pathological lying goes by the fancy name pseudologia fantastica, though it is not yet recognized as a distinct disorder. "If you define lying as 'statements intended to deceive,' then yes we all do lie, every day," said Dike. These contrasting extremes can help us learn about the default human mode of lying on a daily basis to avoid insult, get out of trouble or exploit others. Psychology and neuroscience have provided clues as to why some people lie up a storm while others have difficulty dissembling or detecting it in others. "People with Asperger's have a tendency to be very blunt and direct - they can be honest to a fault," said Tony Attwood, professor of psychology at Minds & Hearts, an Asperger's and autism clinic in Brisbane, Australia Intriguingly, this "lying handicap" is a common feature of the developmental disorder high-functioning autism and Asperger's Syndrome.
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