ABSTRACT
Most Americans believe that the truth still matters and lying is not the American way. Yet nearly everyone lies, with an average of about two lies daily, and some lie a lot. Most are White lies and prosocial lies, but antisocial lies also are common. Telling White lies and prosocial lies, and an occasional antisocial, is adaptive, but telling a lot of antisocial lies is maladaptive and can be pathological. The development of lying and deceitfulness is discussed, including the role of genetic and environmental factors and the influence of social cognitive factors, particularly executive functioning, social perspective taking, moral reasoning (and emotion). The influence of parenting on children's lying is emphasized, with research showing that the authoritative style of parenting is associated with less lying and other antisocial behaviors.
