When did it get so easy to lie?

There’s lots of talk about the truth lately. Truth in the media. Truth in journalism. Truth in advertising. Truth in so-called reality shows, books, and the such.

When did it get so hard to tell the difference between a lie and the truth?

When did truth have, as one character in a movie said, “versions”?

It was pretty simple when I was a child. You either told the truth, or you were telling a lie. The size of the lie didn’t matter. A lie was a lie was a lie. It meant you had done something wrong, and you were about to be in big trouble.

Because they always found out.

Some people carry lies better than others. You can’t tell by looking at them, although scientists say we can if we look for the right signs. They call it a “microexpression”, usually a 25^th of a second, which is actually concealing the truth. A person lying might get a very fast flash of anger, fear, or jealousy on his or her face. It’s pretty hard to detect, since it happens so fast.

I’ve also heard a liar will blink more. Fidgit more. But one thing they usually do not do is break their glance. They’re happy to look you in the eye and tell a fib.

But that’s not really the issue. What’s amazing is how effortless it is for some to lie. How it becomes easier over time.

How if we tell a lie often enough, we start to believe it is the truth.

Studies say a fifth of social exchanges lasting 10 or more minutes involve at least one lie. Want to spot someone lying about a good hand in poker? Check their feet. Wiggling feet usually means a good hand, while a sudden freeze in the feet indicates a bluff. (You can figure out how to explain why you’re looking under the table.)

Have you ever given someone your ideal weight or age, instead of the actual one? Have you ever told a friend her haircut looks great, when you know it’s a disaster?

Ever told your boss or client you’d love to work all night on a project, when secretly you’d rather drown in fire ants?

Is it a lie when you S-T-R-E-T-C-H the truth to avoid hurting someone?

And then there’s the matter of size. Are there big lies and small lies? Do small lies not count as much? (I have a feeling the IRS could weigh in on this.) And of course we lie to ourselves…about our health, our happiness, our disappointments.

I’m usually not surprised when I hear about famous people lying, whether it’s a sports figure, entertainer, or other public figure. And though my roots are in journalism, I’ve lost a lot of respect for the validity of what passes as the news these days. Still, it disappoints me a great deal. Truth and trust go together and when we lose one, the other isn’t far behind.