In 1993, it is published in Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry the case of a 51-year-old man who fainted every time he lied for business. In fact, says the publication titled «Pinocchio Syndrome: A Special Form of Reflex Epilepsy?»the episodes, which resembled seizures and were accompanied by flushing, auditory and visual hallucinations such as metamorphosisintense stress and, ultimately, loss of consciousness, began – and recurred quite often – five years before the man was taken to hospital and diagnosed with meningioma 30 mm in diameter, a brain tumor that was pressing on the middle of the right temporal lobe, causing her reflex epilepsy.
In reflex epilepsy, seizures are triggered by various stimuli such as sleep deprivation, contact with hot water, sudden consumption of alcohol and, as has been shown, the cognitive effort of a good, successful lie. The incident, the psychologist Theodor Schaarschmidt mentions in his article on “The art of lying“, he reveals on the one hand serious consequences which may have small changes in the structure of the brain – something similar happens with the “honesty” of people with Parkinson’s disease from changes in the prefrontal cortex-, as well as that lying is part of human biology.
«Every day, we tell small innocent lies, even out of politeness; “The pie you made is delicious (even if it’s awful)”. “No, grandma, you’re not interrupting anything (while interrupting).” What we say about pretenses makes human relations easier, without causing substantial damage. explains. Basis investigationswe will work together at least two lies on average per day, driven by both selfish and altruistic motives. Even so, we do not have the monopoly on lying and cheating.
Subject of brain activity
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The ability to lie has also been identified in other higher mammals, mainly primates. The tendencies to deceive and manipulate, according to research of primatologist Richard Byrne (University of St. Andrews, Scotland), can be predicted from the volume of neocortexthe part of the brain that, as the findings confirm, evolved last in response to social challenges.
A series of studies, based on imaging findings, have come to the common conclusion that lying generally requires more effort than telling the truth and involves the prefrontal cortex, which constitutes almost a third of the neocortex. One such undertaking, Schaarschmidt reports, was neuroscientist Sean Spence’s ground-breaking (2001) study at the time, which showed that participants needed significantly more time to give a false answer to simple questions, as well as that certain parts of the prefrontal cortex bled more when lying than in truth.
Psychologist Joshua Greene of Harvard University took the research a step further; participants in his own study (2009) had monetary incentive. So when the virtual coin would be dropped into the computer and they had to reveal after the result if they had correctly predicted that it would show corona the letters -since they would be rewarded for the correct estimates-, some “atheophobes” did not hesitate to answer that they had fallen “in” in more than three quarters of the cases. Of course, the purpose of the experiment was not to fight liars…
Courage for the truth, effort for the lie
Throughout Greene’s experiment, participants lay in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine. Analysis of brain activity monitoring data showed that, for honest participants, activity in areas of the prefrontal cortex involved in self-control showed no changes. In contrast, in liars there was more perfusion. Correspondingly, honest participants took no time to provide answers, even when they were given the opportunity to “steal.” In contrast, the response time for cheaters was longer.
In another study led by psychologist Ahmed Karim from the University of Tübingen, in which participants were placed electrodes in the area of anterior prefrontal cortex -which has been associated with moral and ethical decision-making- to reduce its activity, it was found that, indeed, blocking it allowed them to they are lying with more easy.
Cultivated “art”.
The art of lying may be in our nature, but it takes cultivation, notes Schaarschmidt and stands on two cognitive skills which are acquired with age: of ethical reasoning, the ability to distinguish between what is forbidden and what is allowed, what is obligatory and what is optional, and theory of mind, the ability to understand others by attributing to them mental states such as beliefs, desires and intentions.
Thus, while the first well-formulated lies begin at the age of four or five, their persuasiveness is not strong but develops over the years; peaks between 18 and 29, and declines after 45. It develops in the same way response inhibition, cognitive function that allows us to think before we act.
Schaarschmidt explains:
«Current thinking about the psychological processes involved in deception holds that people tend to tell the truth more easily than a lie, and that lying requires much more cognitive resources. First we must become aware of the truth; then we must devise a plausible scenario that is consistent with and does not contradict observable facts. At the same time, we must suppress the truth so that it does not escape us, that is, we must make use of the suspension of the reaction.
»Furthermore, we must be able to accurately assess the recipient’s reactions so that, if necessary, we can skilfully adjust our original story. And there is also the moral dimension, whereby we have to make a conscious decision to break a social norm. All of this decision-making and self-control implies that lying is managed by the prefrontal cortex, the area at the front of the brain responsible for executive control, which includes processes such as planning and regulating emotions and behavior».
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