Pathological lying
Pathological lying, also called pseudologia fantastica or mythomania or morbid lying, is a condition in which a person lies excessively and uncontrollably with no apparent motive. The lies are exaggerated, complicated, and detailed. The pathological liar seems to be compulsively lying for the sake of lying out of habit.
Although the condition isn't officially recognized, there's evidence that a small section of the population (around 13%) has traits linked to pathological lying.
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 lying1Hart, C. L., Curtis, D. A., & Terrizzi, J. A. (2024). Development and validation of the pathological lying inventory. Current Psychology, 43(24), 21218-21228.
- Playing the victim
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.2Curtis, 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’.3Dike, 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 leave the scene.
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.4Dike, 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 contexts5Curtis, 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.
Taking the test
This test is based on unique features identified in pathological lying research over the years. It has 15 items on a 2-point Yes/No scale. It’s not meant to be a diagnosis but an educational tool to help you assess the likelihood of pathological lying in yourself. Your results will only be visible to you; we don’t store them in our database.
