Lies and their motivations. Research at the University of Wrocław
Researchers from the University of Wrocław and Angelo State University are conducting a study on compulsive lying.
The project was initiated by Drew Curtis of Angelo State University in Texas. In Poland, the research is led by prof. Bogusław Pawłowski of the Department of Human Biology at the University of Wrocław, together with Anna Chmielińska, a psychologist and therapist who collaborates with the Department of Human Biology on scientific research.
Each of us encounters various forms of deviation from the truth: from minor omissions to more significant lies; from entirely fabricated stories to situations in which the truth is mixed with omitted or added details. Some lies are easy to detect, while others are more subtle. At times they stem from good intentions, at others from selfishness, and sometimes they are meant to protect someone.
Anna Chmielińska: – It is precisely these differences that we want to understand better. We are interested in respondents’ own experiences and perspectives. Everyone who takes part in our study and completes the questionnaire helps to broaden our knowledge of the nature of truth avoidance. In the study, respondents will describe how often they lie. Every answer matters.
The aim of the study is to assess behaviours related to lying. What kinds of behaviours are meant here?
In this study, we are not so much asking about behaviours themselves as referring to personal experiences connected with telling untruths. The vast majority of people have some experience of straying from the truth; however, for not everyone does such behaviour become compulsive, spiral out of control (like substance addiction), and cause devastation in life. We therefore ask less about the behaviours themselves (which are familiar to us all) and more about their effects – namely, the impact they have on our relationships, sense of happiness, and life stability.
The study may contribute to expanding existing knowledge in psychology and deception research. How might the findings help us in dealing with fraudsters?
That is an excellent question, and the answer is complex. To put it briefly: every truth about human psychological motivations, and every new insight, deepens our self-awareness. We begin to understand phenomena such as passive aggression, gaslighting, co-dependence, or – as in this case – the motivation to lie. When we understand more, it becomes easier to recognise the transparency of certain behaviours and to help more effectively both those who are deceived and those who deceive compulsively. Psychology is a young science – there is still much we do not know.
Every day we hear about fraudsters of all kinds. Why do we fall for them? Are we naïve, or are they simply clever?
We are able to build communities because, as humans, we possess the capacity for cooperation. This means we are able to trust one another and to believe that others will generally act towards us with goodwill. This attitude has allowed us to build every civilisation – it is a healthy and valuable stance. The opposite attitude is a deep lack of belief in safety among people, in other words paranoia. Most individuals are characterised by the conviction that cooperation is a good idea, that it has meaning and value. A small minority, instead of cooperation, will choose another strategy, including deception. We usually do not ‘arm ourselves’ for encounters with this small group, because in practice that would mean unjustified suspicion or paranoia. Therefore, the fact that we are sometimes deceived is the result of a complex mechanism of adaptation to life in society. Most of the time, this mechanism works.
Is there such a thing as a “naïve” – or perhaps rather “innocent” – lie?
In this context, it may refer to a lie motivated by positive intentions – for example, to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. If so, then such lies certainly exist. Not every lie has the same motivation. Some arise from a desire for revenge, others from a need for dominance, and still others from concern for a relationship or fear of abandonment. Paradoxically, there are lies that can sustain relationships, and those that will destroy them. I encourage people to complete our questionnaire on lying – the experience alone can prompt reflection on what kinds of lies we may tell and why.
Katarzyna Górowicz-Maćkiewicz
Date of publication: 15.12.2025
Added by: M.K.
