Lie prevalence, lie characteristics and strategies of self-reported good liars

Meta-analytic findings indicate that the success of unmasking a deceptive interaction relies more on the liar's performance than on the lie detector's. This study surveyed 194 participants to explore the relationship between self-reported deception ability and lie prevalence, characteristics, and strategies. Higher self-reported deception ability correlated with telling more lies daily, inconsequential lies, lying to colleagues and friends, and face-to-face lies. Good liars primarily used verbal strategies, embedding lies in truthful information, keeping statements clear and simple, and providing plausible accounts. This study provides a foundation for future research on skilled liars' meta-cognitions and deception patterns.

Brianna L. Verigin, Ewout H. Meijer, Glynis Bogaard, Aldert Vrij