Pathological lying, also called pseudologia fantastica or mythomania or morbid lying, is when a person lies excessively and uncontrollably with no apparent motive.1Grubin, D. (2005). Commentary: Getting at the truth about pathological lying. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online, 33(3), 350-353. The lies tend to be exaggerated, complicated, disjointed, and detailed.2Konnikova, M. (2016). The irresistible lure of the con artist. New Scientist, 229(3057), 38-41.
The person seems to be compulsively lying out of habit, but there’s usually a deeper psychological/emotional need they’re trying to meet.3Muzinic, L., Kozaric-Kovacic, D., & Marinic, I. (2016). Psychiatric aspects of normal and pathological lying. International journal of law and psychiatry, 46, 88-93.
The lies are 'pathological' because they cause significant distress to the liar and/or those around them.
Although ‘pathological lying’ isn’t officially recognized as a disorder, there’s evidence that a small section of the population (around 13%) has traits linked to pathological lying. While normal liars lie about once or twice a day, pathological liars lie on an average of 10 times per day.4Curtis, D. A., & Hart, C. L. (2020). Pathological lying: Theoretical and empirical support for a diagnostic entity. Psychiatric Research and Clinical Practice, 2(2), 62-69.
Test
The following test is based on decades of research on pathological liars, mainly the strongest symptoms of pathological lying as documented by Katie E. Treanor in her extensive thesis5Treanor, K. E. (2012). Defining, understanding and diagnosing pathological lying (pseudologia fantastica): an empirical and theoretical investigation into what constitutes pathological lying. Australia, Wollongong: University of Wollongong. and the Pathological Lying Inventory, scientifically validated in 2024.6Hart, C. L., Curtis, D. A., & Terrizzi, J. A. (2024). Development and validation of the pathological lying inventory. Current Psychology, 43(24), 21218-21228.
Disclaimer: This test is a self-reflection tool, not a diagnosis. Human behavior is complex, and lying can come from many emotional needs. If your score makes you curious about your patterns, consider exploring them with a trained professional. Your results will only be shown to you and will not be stored or shared by us.
White vs. pathological lying
Telling white lies occasionally or frequently doesn’t make one a pathological liar because these lies tend to have a clear, often benign, motive. For example, lying that you were caught in traffic for arriving late on a date. In contrast, a pathological liar lies for the sake of it and sometimes even gets caught in their web of lies.7Dike, C. C. (2008). Pathological lying: symptom or disease? Living with no permanent motive or benefit. Psychiatric Times, 25(7), 67-67. Unlike white liars, they experience significant distress because of their lies and impairment in:
- Work
- Relationships
- Finances
- Legal contexts
Causes
While pathological liars may seem to lie for no apparent reason or gain, you will likely find a motive if you dig deeper. Often, they lie for intrinsic motivations such as:
- Excessive need for attention
- Low self-esteem (lying for ego-boost)
- Overestimating the benefits of lying
- Playing the victim
The aforementioned thesis identified childhood trauma as the strongest predictor of pathological lying. As a result of early attachment trauma, the child may have had to adapt to their difficult circumstances by forming a false self that pleases their caregiver but suppresses their own individuality and identity. Hence, pathological lies tend to portray the liar in a positive light to protect their false self and the world they’ve built around it.8Đurić-Jočić, D., Pavlicić, N., & Gazivoda, V. (2018). Pathological lying and tasks of psychological assessment. Vojnosanitetski pregled, 75(2), 219-223.
Examples
There’s this interesting case of a person who lost their ability to lie pathologically due to a neurological condition.9Rothman, Y., & Biran, I. (2024). What happens to a pathological liar with acute amnesia?. Neuropsychoanalysis, 26(2), 203-213. Researchers reported, and I paraphrase:
“He had difficulty tolerating his depressive position without the protective shield provided by his habitual lying.”
In school, we had a teacher who was famous for his lies. I can’t say with certainty that those lies were pathological, but they were definitely habitual. He became notorious for them. All those lies revolved around portraying himself as a hero of sorts. He would talk about the heroic things he did in the past, like:
“I have driven from City A to City B (250 km) in reverse.”
Now that’s not a straight road. It’s a challenging road cutting through mountains and passing gorges. A difficult road to drive on, even normally, let alone in reverse!
Link to personality disorders
Pathological lying has been associated with Antisocial, Borderline, Narcissistic, and Histrionic Personality Disorders. But it’s not considered a consequence of these disorders and can occur independently.10Curtis, D. A., & Hart, C. L. (2022). Pathological lying: Psychotherapists’ experiences and ability to diagnose. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 75(2), 61-66. Those who hear these lies can often catch them because they’re so ‘out there’.11Dike, C. C., Baranoski, M., & Griffith, E. E. (2005). Pathological lying revisited. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online, 33(3), 342-349. When confronted with their lies, pathological liars can go into denial mode or become aggressive.
Seeking help
Pathological liars tend not to seek help for obvious reasons. No one wants to be called a liar. It’s not that they’re unaware they’re lying. They just have a strong need to lie that blinds them to the negative effects of it. They’re not delusional, which means when strongly confronted, they’ll realize they’ve lied. This shows that there’s hope for them because with enough awareness and practice, one can change any negative behavioral pattern.
An occasional lie here and there is not a concern, but if you lie pathologically and it is central to your personality, it’s recommended that you seek professional help.
