"People who lie can cause you all kinds of heartache. They trick, cheat, and manipulate you, possibly costing you money if not emotional pain. Why people engage in deception is one thing, but figuring out how to avoid their trap is quite another. To protect yourself, the avoiding part is probably more important than the understanding part. Erin started to get into a new relationship with Pat, someone she met in her work at a bank."
"According to Zhejiang Normal University's Mengqi Xu and colleagues (2025), the social context is everything when it comes to processing the information we receive from others. Attitudes in particular stand out as influences on the way that people interpret what other people say. When it comes to deception, the main form of social information people use involves trust. You have to decide whether to trust what someone else tells you based on all the available cues at your disposal."
Truth-telling occurs within social relationships built on reciprocity and trust. People use trust as primary social information when interpreting others' statements. Trust influences both the perceiver's willingness to accept information and the communicator's willingness to disclose honestly. Perceived distrust can paradoxically increase the likelihood that people will deceive. Allowing people space to admit shortcomings fosters healthier, more open communication and reduces defensive concealment. Personal omissions or lies in relationships can cause emotional harm and betrayal, so prioritizing avoidance strategies and cautious engagement can better protect individuals from deception than mere analysis of motives.
Read at Psychology Today
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