"Deceit is the Cinderella of human nature, essential to our humanity but disowned by its perpetrators at every turn. It is normal, natural, and pervasive. It is not, as popular opinion would have it, reducible to mental illness or moral failure. Human society is a network of lies and deceptions that would collapse under the weight of too much honesty." (David Livingstone Smith, Why We Lie, p 2)

It may sound cynical, but for many scientists and social critics it's dogma. Psychologist Robert Feldman conducted an amazing study which suggests that 60% of people tell on average 2-3 lies for every ten minutes of conversation. This has in view socially acceptable lies in addition to blatant or bald-faced lies. The frequency applies to men and women equally, though the sexes tend to lie about different things: men to make themselves look better, women to make others feel good.

I actually tested this on myself a few years ago, and monitored eleven lies in the space of a day. Granted most of these were the socially acceptable or trivial lies ("It's nice to see you", when it really wasn't; "I'll get back to you soon," knowing I wouldn't), it's still sobering. I consider myself pretty honest, but even morally upright folk (as I like to think of myself) seem to realize there's something anti-social about too much truth.

Then there's self-deception, which according to David Livingstone Smith is essential to our well-being. It soothes the stresses of life, and in the process helps us lie efficiently to others. "Lying to ourselves promotes psychological well-being," states Smith in an online interview, and in his book he cites research showing that mentally healthy people deceive themselves more than those who are ill and depressed, opposite what we're taught to believe. So remember: self-knowledge isn't all it's cracked up to be. If you're too in touch with reality, too honest with yourself, you might suffer for it!

So on that uplifting note, be sure to come in and check out the library's materials on lying and deception.

Why We Lie: The Evolutionary Roots of Deception and the Unconscious Mind, by David Livingstone Smith. An evolutionary-psychological perspective, explaining why homo sapiens are a species of habitual liars.

The Post-Truth Era: Dishonesty and Deception in Contemporary Life, by Ralph Keyes. A cultural-critical perspective, suggesting that postmodernity has increasingly blurred distinctions between right and wrong, and today's world strongly inflames our inclinations to lie.

Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life, by Sissela Bok. Classic study on the subject.

Lying and Deception in Everyday Life, edited by Michael Lewis and Carolyn Saarni. A collection of essays that looks at the boundaries between unethical and adaptive lies.

The Varnished Truth: Truth Telling and Deceiving in Ordinary Life, by David Nyberg. The author who quipped that "self knowledge isn't all it's cracked up to be". He exposes our collective pretense and explains that lies can be healthy, helpful, creative, and moral.

The Concise Book of Lying, by Evelin Sullivan. A tour-de-force on the history of lying and deception.