Why We Lie: The Evolutionary Roots of Deception and the Unconscious Mind

by David Livingstone Smith

Deceit, lying, and falsehoods lie at the very heart of our cultural heritage. Even the founding myth of the Judeo-Christian tradition, the story of Adam and Eve, revolves around a lie. We have been talking, writing and singing about deception ever since Eve told God, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." Our seemingly insatiable appetite for stories of deception spans the extremes of culture from King Lear to Little Red Riding Hood, retaining a grip on our imaginations despite endless repetition. These tales of deception are so enthralling because they speak to something fundamental in the human condition. The ever-present possibility of deceit is a crucial dimension of all human relationships, even the most our relationships with our very own selves.Now, for the first time, philosopher and evolutionary psychologist David Livingstone Smith elucidates the essential role that deception and self-deception have played in human--and animal--evolution and shows that the very structure of our minds has been shaped from our earliest beginnings by the need to deceive. Smith shows us that by examining the stories we tell, the falsehoods we weave, and the unconscious signals we send out, we can learn much about ourselves and how our minds work.Readers of Richard Dawkins and Steven Pinker will find much to intrigue them in this fascinating book, which declares that our extraordinary ability to deceive others--and even our own selves--"lies" at the heart of our humanity.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Science, Philosophy, Evolution, Ebooks, Self Help

254 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

David Livingstone Smith is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of London, Kings College, where he worked on Freud's philosophy of mind and psychology. His current research is focused on dehumanization, race, propaganda, and related topics. David is the author of seven books and numerous academic papers. His most recent book Less Than Human: Why We Demean, Enslave and Exterminate Others (St. Martin's Press, 2011) was awarded the 2012 Anisfield-Wolf award for nonfiction. He is also editor of How Biology Shapes Philosophy (Cambridge University Press, 2016) , and he is working on a book entitled Making Monsters: The Uncanny Power of Dehumanization, which will be published by Harvard University Press.

David speaks widely in both academic and nonacademic settings, and his work has been featured extensively in national and international media. In 2012 he spoke at the G20 summit on dehumanization and mass violence. David strongly believes that the practice of philosophy has an important role to play helping us meet the challenges confronting humanity in the 21st century and beyond, and that philosophers should work towards making the world a better place.g

Reviews

[Athena_C2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

We grow in a society where lies constantly dominate our conversations in the form of gossip and exaggeration. As stated by Dr. David Livingstone Smith, PH. D, "while it is true children are taught not to lie, they are actually more frequently taught how to lie in a socially acceptable manner." Every time you receive a gift, you must put on a Duchenne smile and pretend you are grateful, no matter whether you like it or not. Every time an event upsetting to adults occurs, you are not to laugh or grin foolishly. We were taught to hide our emotions and show only what 'should be shown' to others. Why? To make a good impression. To make friends. To impress teachers and employers. To form connections. To exploit society. To increase the chance of having a 'successful' life. Lying is biological. It gives one an upper hand in society.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book begins by introducing the manipulative behavior humans use in order to deceive others. The evolution of deception is demonstrated through examples of a variety of species that mimic other species in order to ensure survival. Unfortunately, the rest of the book attempts to convince the reader of the connection between deception and the unconscious as well as the Machiavelli Module. Regrettably, the author does not use evidence to support this hypothesis but merely uses personal vignettes. This makes it very difficult to substantiate scientifically and has left me hoping more from this book.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've suspected for a long time that, in conversation and through other subtle communication, humans are discussing things that they are completely unaware of at a conscious level. When I smoke pot I become painfully aware of the possibility, if not the actuality, that this is going on and the subtexts of what people are saying are revealing an ugly hidden side to normal conversations.

This book suggests exactly what I suspect. However, it is almost purely speculative, even though the speculation seems to jive with what I've experienced in my life. There are plenty of moments in which I thought when the author discussed the social maneuvering that lies, self-deceit, unconscious manipulation, and encoded conversation where I thought, "oh, it is so like that."

For that alone, I recommend this book. Because people are strange and we know nothing about them and everything about them all at once. It's important to know how to understand the subtexts of what people say through gossip or in group settings as a means to establish a pecking order (much like chimps would do), not so you can become a more dominant, manipulative, Machiavellian individual who achieves greater social success through being able to pull people's strings but simply so you know what is really going on, even though it may creep you the fuck out to know what people are really thinking.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

" I don't for a minute believe that we can be taught not to deceive ourselves, and even if we could (by whom?), it would probably result in widespread unhappiness. We are all frail creatures who need something to get us through the night. But surely, we can get rid of some of our surplus self-deception. Tolerating a measure of self-deception is one thing, but actively promoting it is quite another. At a minimum, perhaps we can help each other to acknowledge we are all natural born liars."

David Livingstone Smith is an evolutionary psychologist who argues that animals, human or otherwise, are hard-wired for deception in order to survive and reproduce. His book gives us thousands of examples and the reader is left understanding that not only do human beings know far less about themselves than they think they do but they also can't do much about it.

Fascinating, funny, and undeniably intriguing. However, wayyyyyy too long to say what he wants to say and very repetitive. Nonetheless, much-needed conversation in a world that revels in denial, pretense and righteous belief, waging war to reinforce that one lie is better than another.

[Mark Valentine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not going to lie: I picked this study in order to deepen my understanding of a novel that I teach, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The protagonist, Christopher Boone, a teenage boy with Asperger's, cannot handle any form of deception.

Smith's book opened my understanding in a number of ways, especially in illuminating the manifold ways in which we deceive each other. No one could get through the day without some kind of deception. Obversely, honesty becomes abnormal or at least, a rarity.

I loved his collection of quotes too. Smith's reading was vast in support of his topic and there were several pithy quotes to ponder. The chapter on therapy was beneficial too; in conversation, in narrating stories about the past, every retelling shifts its terrain and becomes a new confabulation.

My only criticism I take the blame for--I sensed he repeated himself. It could just be me. Also, I skimmed the chapters about camouflage in nature and the thousands of ways species deceive in order to hunt or hide. Interesting...until it isn't. And that is my taste again, not a flaw from Smith.

[R.J. Kamaladasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book on how evolution led us to self-deception. The book strays away from science but does so cautiously and warns the reader when it does. Many ideas in this book aren't new, and I've seen them elsewhere, but the author seems to have put it to a coherent believable story.

I thought I'd be a bit troubled after reading the book, but on the contrary it's shown me to appreciate the subtle things in social interactions (even internal conversations), and to accept any kind of morality with a grain of salt. Perhaps the most important thing the book brings to light is the lie that we are completely conscious beings.

[Paula Shagosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting subject matter, and definitely held my interest and gave me something to think about during a long bus ride. I'm still not totally sure how seriously to take his ideas on interpreting conversations to reveal 'truth' from our unconsciousness... seems a little convenient for whatever someone wants to read into something

[Brett Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deceit is not, “as popular opinion would have it, reducible to mental illness or moral failure. Human society is a network of lies and deceptions that would collapse under too much honesty.” Furthermore, evolutionary psychology has found that “self-deception is the handmaiden of deceit; in hiding the truth from ourselves, we are able to hide it more fully from others. Therefore, like deceit, self-deception lies at the core of our humanity. Far from being a sign of emotional disturbance…it is probably vital for psychological equilibrium.” So says director of the Institute for Cognitive Science and Evolutionary Psychology at the University of New England, David Livingstone Smith, in his Why We Lie. For non-professional liars (we know who that is), this equilibrium is maintained by the fact we don’t even know we’re lying, implying a major evolutionary development of the human brain: “In order to hide the truth about ourselves from ourselves, we needed to evolve an unconscious mind… There is a side of ourselves that we were evolved not to know.”

“Our minds, no less than our bodies,” writes Smith, “are products of the forces of nature operating on time frames of millions of years.” But when that mind evolved, humans lived in a very different world. With our present brain size fixed by about 150,000 years ago, we emerged from that environment “equipped with an array of passions, skills, and mental abilities specifically adapted to life in that primeval habitat.” And that hasn’t changed in fifteen hundred centuries. “The mind you and I possess is, in its essentials, a Stone Age mind.” No wonder we’re so screwed up, stuck in traffic, choking on smog, crammed into crowded cities built for cars and buildings that just happen to contain humans.

Smith provides a great case for the notion that lies underpin all life on the planet. From deceiving host immune systems by a virus, to mirror orchids that “produce insect pornography” with a flower that looks like a fertile female wasp to the Portia spider that knows the species-specific vibration codes of other prey spiders on their particular webs. Given the portia has excellent eyesight, while other spiders are almost blind, the portia taps out the proper code on the silk of target spiders, and they come running. But the portia is small, its prey often large. If the portia decides it picked the wrong dude, it taps out the message for “leaf in the wind—never mind.” At the top of this deception pyramid are humans. We are more like Homo fallax (deceptive man) than Home sapiens (wise man), says Smith. “The biosphere teams with mendacity… With this lineage behind us, it is hardly surprising that human society is in large measure a densely woven fabric of trickery and dissimulation.”

A thrilling read, providing great insights as to why we’re such liars.

[Mark Blane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book starts off strong, and intriguing on the human condition with deception and lying. It ends a bit weaker (my opinion) on its struggles of trying to interpret Machiavellian unconscious thoughts that transcribe to inter personal communication based on actual recordings from various social situations.

Albeit interesting, it lacks clear evidentiary support but the author, Smith, readily concedes this. Apart from that, which is why I give it 4 out 5 stars, the book is very interesting and hits head on deception, and how we deceive ourselves in order to better get along and cooperate with others.

My take-aways:

1. The reader will gain great insight into what Smith calls the "Machiavellian Module." What is intriguing is how this operates UNCONSCIOUSLY in each us. Very intriguing indeed.

2. I love how Smith tackles "gossip" and "meta-gossip" (gossiping about gossip). It embraces the psychological imperative that we need to know who is crazy or doing something that may impact the survival of our community or group. This too is tied to deception and lies.

3. Smith talks about the 4 types of Ritualistic signaling in our communications with one anther.

In the end, the reader will learn more insight into why we lie - we lie to ourselves (self-deception) and then to others (deception). And, it is not evil, but nature. Natural as the wind on our faces.

Toward the end of the book, Smith briefly mentions Cognitive Bias' (which I like), and how they are built into our brains as forms of "self-deception." And remember, we need this to evolve and survive in our environments. Great book! It sparked my interest in the author's other books which I am currently reading now.

[Sergio GRANDE · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting semi-scientific book based on the posit that we lie because it is part of our biological make-up and even –it argues- in line with the purpose of all species: to ensure the reproductive success of the better, stronger, more developed individual. From humans, whom the author suggests should rather be called Homo fallax (deceptive man) instead of Homo sapiens (wise man), to animals and even plants, we all lie, deceive and manipulate through words, actions, camouflage, body posture, image, smells and various other means. Consciously or unconsciously. That’s how we’ve been wired.

Don’t beat yourself up about it, he says, evolution made you this way: “We are deceptive animals because of the advantages that dishonesty reaped for our ancestors, and which it continues to secure for us today” but don’t worry, because “Lying is not exceptional; it is normal, and more often spontaneous and unconscious than cynical and coldly analytical.”

The author gives plenty examples of all these concepts, then he repeats the same ideas a few times, next it becomes an exercise in tautology and finally it all gets confusing. It��s OK, I understood you one-third into the book. You don’t need to repeat it all over again. And again. I got you the first time, Mr. Smith.

I’d love to memorize a few paragraphs though, to recite them by rote next time my wife catches me in a distortion of the truth embedded in my DNA. I might give it a try.

[John Chronakis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half is very good, diving deep into analysis of lying and misdirection, across many species. It then moves to our own, human race, with many examples of the sociological and psychological underpinnings of deception and self-deception. So far so good. In the rest of the book, the author presents his own theory about a brain module dedicated to hoodwinks and abstract symbolism, how and why it works, etc. It's interesting, but I'd like some peer review, or at least a hefty comparison with traditional neurological explanations. All in all, a nice attempt to answer the titular question.

[Aadesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feeling about this book. I wanted to know more about why us humans lie. The author does provided reasons and details a mental model called Machiavelli mind to support his arguments. It was interesting to note that our lies are mostly due to self-deception on unconscious level which on some level match with the Buddhist teachings.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather dry, as befitting an academician.

[Maher Razouk · Rating 5 out of 5]

خداع الذات


يقول البروفيسور في علم النفس (David Smith) في كتابه الجميل (Why We Lie) :

ليس فقط أننا نجد أنه من السهل جدًا خداع الآخرين ، ولكننا أيضًا ماهرون في خداع أنفسنا. كما هو الحال مع الكذب ، أفضل تعريف للكذب على النفس أو خداع الذات هو : عملية أو سلوك عقلي تتمثل وظيفته في إخفاء المعلومات عن العقل الواعي.
لقد كان خداع الذات لغزًا لعلماء النفس والفلاسفة لأكثر من ألفي عام. يبدو أن هناك شيئا متناقضا بطبيعته حول شخص يخدع وفي نفس الوقت يكون ضحية للخداع . النظرة الشعبية لخداع الذات سلبية بشدة. من المفترض أن يكون الكذب على النفس متجذرًا في الخوف أو الذنب أو الاضطراب العقلي. يجد بعض المفكرين أن الفكرة كلها منافية للعقل لدرجة أنهم ينكرون وجود خداع الذات . كيف يمكن لكل من المخادع والمضلل أن يكونا نفس الشخص؟ يقارن الآخرون خداع الذات بخداعنا للآخرين ، مما يشير إلى أن خداع الذات يجب أن ينطوي على تجزئة الشخصية إلى العديد من الأجزاء المتفاعلة ، وأن خداع الذات يحدث عندما ينجح أحد هذه الأجزاء في خداع الآخرين من أجل الحصول على ما يريد . يمكننا أن نقبل أنه على الرغم من التناقض الواضح الذي ينطوي عليه ذلك ، فإن الاستدلال على الذات حقيقي تمامًا ، ولا يتعين علينا ابتلاع فكرة الشخصيات الفرعية من أجل الاستفادة منها. والعقبة الرئيسية لفهم خداع الذات هي مجموعة من الأكاذيب والمعتقدات المنطقية التقييدية حول طبيعة العقل البشري. هذه المفاهيم هي جزء مما يسميه الفلاسفة النظرة الديكارتيّة للعالم ، لأنها صيغت بقوة وأناقة من قبل الموسوعي الفرنسي (رينيه ديكارت) في أوائل القرن السابع عشر. اقترح ديكارت أن العقل هو كل الوعي. وبعبارة أخرى ، نحن على علم بكل شيء يحدث في رؤوسنا. وأكد أيضًا أنه لا يمكننا أن نخطئ ببساطة بشأن ما يدور في عالمنا الداخلي: كل واحد منا هو السلطة الوحيدة ، والمعصومة ، والتي لا تقاوم على حالاتنا العقلية. إذا كان هذا صحيحًا ، فهذا يعني أن الاستبطان البسيط ، وممارسة النظر في ذهن المرء ، سيكون الطريقة الوحيدة المطلوبة لمعرفة الذات.
كما عزز ديكارت فكرة أن العقل أو الذات أو الروح هي كيان روحي يقف خارج المجال المادي الفوضوي للخلايا العصبية والمشابك والناقلات العصبية. هذه الذات الواعية بالكامل مستقلة وقادرة على الإرادة الحرة ، وعلى حد تعبير ديكارتيني في القرن العشرين ، "محكوم عليها بالحرية".
طوال 250 عامًا ، سيطرت نظرية ديكارت ومتغيراتها اللاحقة على محاولات فهم العقل. أحد الأشخاص الذين ساعدوا في تدمير الاحتكار الديكارتي كان طبيب أعصاب شاب يدعى (سيجموند فرويد).
كان فرويد على علم جيد بالتحقيقات العلمية الجديدة في التنويم المغناطيسي ، والأحلام ، والمرض العقلي ، والاضطرابات العضوية في الدماغ التي جعلت المفهوم الديكارتي للعقل موضع تساؤل. لقد أدرك أن العقل يجب أن يكون متطابقًا مع الدماغ ، وأن الكرة اللزجة من الأنسجة العصبية داخل جماجمنا مسؤولة بطريقة ما عن مجمل حياتنا العقلية الذاتية: أفكارنا وآمالنا وأحلامنا ومخاوفنا وأوهامنا. جادل فرويد بأن الدماغ يحتوي على عدد من الوحدات والأنظمة الوظيفية التي تقوم بأنشطة محددة. الأكثر إثارة للجدل ، اقترح أن الجزء من الدماغ الذي يفكر يختلف تمامًا عن الجزء الواعي من الدماغ. وبعبارة أخرى ، كل التفكير هو في الأساس لا واعي . من أجل الدخول في الوعي ، يجب أن تنتقل المعلومات من جزء التفكير إلى الجزء المنتج للوعي في الدماغ. يستغرق تدفق المعلومات هذا وقتًا ويتم التحكم فيه بواسطة نظام من الفلاتر المعرفية التي تحدد الأفكار التي ستدخل في الوعي وأي الأفكار ستبقى مستبعدة من الوعي. وفقا لفرويد ، فإن الفجوة بين الإدراك والوعي بالتحديد ، وبين الحارس المعرفي الذي يقف بينهما ، هو ما يجعل خداع الذات ممكنًا. في قصة فرويد ، الذات الديكارتية الموحدة هي أسطورة. إنها ليست سوى صورة معروضة على شاشة الوعي ، والناتج النقي ، وسراب مغر تنتجه شبكة مترابطة بعدد كبير من المفاتيح الكهروكيميائية في آلة اللحم والدم التي نسميها الدماغ.


Translated By #Maher_Razouk
#ماهررزوق

[Daniel Solera · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of those books that I bought basically because the title sold me. However, from the very beginning, David Livingstone Smith warns readers that the book has no experiments on which it draws to reach its conclusions. Although much of what he states is generally understood to be true in the scientific community, a lot of the book feels like it was written with very broad strokes.

Smith talks about our evolutionary ancestors, apes, and shows how they use deception to reach certain ends. From there he spends lots of time discussing the tricks that many animals use to hoodwink their predators, prey or competition. Most of what you'll read in these chapters you've seen before on the Discovery Channel or the BBC's Planet Earth series. He discusses spiders that can mislead prey with their webs, male cuttlefish who pretend to be female and squids who create a silhouette of themselves with their ink.

So you can see already that the "Lie" component of the book doesn't focus specifically on "vocalizing or articulating things that are patently untrue." Instead, he discusses the arts of misleading, disguising, and confounding. These exist ubiquitously in nature and therefore, are part of our own genetic makeup. From there, he spends a great deal of time talking about the ways in which people do these things to themselves unknowingly. This is where he delves into Freudian thought, the subconscious, and what he calls "Machiavellian modules." Though he treats Freudian philosophy with many grains of salt, he does mention that the subconscious mind, by its very nature, provokes people into lying to themselves and consequently to others.

This was a decent book for the lay person who is not pursuing a PhD in psychology. I'm sure more erudite scholars on the subject would scoff at the book and call it too parochial. I wasn't thrilled with it either, but at least now I'll be able to confidently say that people are deceptive by nature.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why we lie" is an attempt to prove that deception and self-deception are integral trends in our survival and development as human species. We have to manipulate and deceive others and ourselves to exist; it is an evolutionary development that those who were more skilled and talented in deceiving had more offsprings. Gossip was the cradle of the language, there is theory than language started when our ancestors started to gossip about one another, using gossip as a powerful tool to control, submit and regulate the social group. Our unconscious mind is a great manipulator. We can communicate something with words and give a very opposite message non-verbally. Sometimes hidden truth is revealed by body language more than words. People who are more talented in reading others have more capacity to control others; the famous Machiavellian mind is an example.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the title, this book basically had me hooked. Although it is non-fiction it was a good read. It really opened my mind to how much we deceive ourselves but not only that, others. Without even realizing it, we lie constantly. From little white lies to those that can get a little too carried away, they're there, everyday.
It's hard to make a reccomendation for what type of people would enjoy this. I mean this is definitely different from what type of books I usually like to read but this was pretty nice change! I guess you would have to take a look at it if it caught your eye. I can get a tad boring because it's non-fiction but if you enjoy that genre then go for this one because it won't let you down!
This book really taught me a lot about myself and I'm glad I picked it up!

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could it be that evolutionary psychology has actually produced some useful scholarship?

I'm...not actually sure, on that last point, but if it is bullshit, it's dramatically better than the bullshit that passes for evo psych in the popular press. Extremely cautious about its entirely unscientific propositions (the author's description, not mine), it suggests the beginnings of a method to find ways to measure subjective phenomena in a way that might allow authentic scientific testing. Also, some pretty badass insights into depression. Plus, reciprocal altruism, and who doesn't love reciprocal altruism?

[Debbie Lamperd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading books on psychology and being human and this particular book deals with an aspect of human nature that seems to be rarely discussed. Maybe it is a secret that we are all keeping to ourselves. The author is upfront straight away about the lack of serious research into this field of human behavior; but he makes up for it with solid support for his theories anyway.
So why do we lie?? "Impression management" Simple really. It is an evolutionary advantage to manipulate other's opinions of us. There is that self-centered ego raising its head again. Ahh life!! Great book and highly recommend for those interested in matters of the mind.

[Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeply disturbing account of how deception, especially self-deception, is an integral part of human nature. Claims that consciousness has virtually no control over cognition and argues in favor of an unconscious "Machiavellian module" that aids us in covert games of social poker. Puts forth some tendentious views about the significance of observations made in psychotherapy, but is realistic about lacking hard empirical support.

[Tania Tinity · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author provides interesting perspective to the question "Why we lie". He provides summary of different studies over the time and compares theories. There were definitely some good insides and take away's for me. However, at times he can go too much into the neuroscientific / psychological details which might be overwhelming for someone who doesn't have the scientific background. Nevertheless, the book is full with good examples and references to a number of studies.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. Smith blames evolution for our lying. He gives examples of how animals lie in nature, some to deceive their prey, some to deceive their predators. So our deceit is part of being an animal. He writes about how our unconscious works so we deceive ourselves, and that Plato's dictum, "know thyself is impossible".

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Many of the prior reviews were worded much better than anything I can say. I especially liked Vicky's review. I will say that I don't know what to think about the premise that this book leaves me with ... that the better deceivers (aka liars, fibbers, etc.) we are, the more evolved we are. I.e., survival of the fittest.

[Maurice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, at times pretty mind-blowing stuff. Even though a lot of the conjecture needs validating by Science, it was interesting to engage in Smith's conjecture. If it's true, then I feel a whole lot smarter about human interactions..

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

He talks about how lying is biological in nature, a survival techinique. Animals only communicate certain necessary things to certain other animals; humans are animals.

[Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was very neuropsychological rather than cognitive. Would have preferred the latter.

[BLACK CAT · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping more psychology and neuroscience and less Freud in particular. The main point of the book can be found in the first chapters.

[Velvetink]

*for daughter

[John Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and interesting book. Smith makes a refernce to one of my favorite musicians, Louis Jordan.

[Katrina Fraley]

Interesting text I had for a philosophy class.