Real-Life Pinocchios: How millennials became the world’s biggest liars

“Love the way you lie,” sang Rihanna and Eminem a few years ago. And it seems that if you are a millennial, then you do love to lie. A new survey has found that of all generations, those born between 1981 and 1996 – millennials – are the biggest culprits of lying in the workplace and on social media. What was this survey all about? What were the findings of this survey? We give you the answers, and they are not lies. Liar, liar, liar An online casino called PlayStar recently carried out a survey into perceptions and knowledge of lying in the United States. People associated with the survey asked a series of questions on the subject of lying across the states of Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. For the research to be wide-ranging, a total of 1,306 people were questioned – across age groups, genders and even different pay scales. In addition to revealing who lied the most, the survey also shed light on whether women or men lied more, the reason to fib, the most common types of lies and tips to find out who is lying. The survey has found that the biggest liars are millennials, with 13 per cent of people in the age group admitting to being dishonest at least once a day. In comparison, only two per cent of boomers – those who are born between 1946 and 1964 – fibbing once a day, making them the most honest generation. Generation Z, people born between 1997 and 2021, and Gen X, those born between 1965 and 1980, are quite far apart in ages, but have honesty in common – only five per cent admitted to daily deception. And where do the millennials lie the most? The survey also revealed that dishonesty shows up most at the workplace , especially in people’s resumes. Nearly a third of millennials, who participated in the survey, revealed that they had fabricated parts of their resume. And lying to the boss to “avoid embarrassment” is another reason why millennials lie – with two in five conceding to this. This isn’t surprising with another survey in 2022 revealing that 55 per cent of Americans admitting to lying at least once on their resume. And what did they lie about? The most lies were about previous work experience, followed by skills and college qualifications. [caption id=“attachment_12849642” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The survey has also revealed that men tend to lie more than women. But it is a myth that women can detect lies easily. Image used for representational purposes/Pixabay[/caption] Another hotbed for deceit? Social media. Almost a quarter of millennials (23 per cent) and one in five Gen Z’ers (21 per cent) said they have lied on social media this year to impress people. Science has revealed that social media has fuelled a rise in lying and today misinformation is one of the biggest scourges in the world of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other platforms. Interestingly, a previous survey had found that it was Gen Z’ers who lied the most to healthcare professionals. The October 2022 survey had revealed that 93 per cent admitting to lying to healthcare professionals, especially about their sexual histories. Following the Gen Z’ers was the millennials (76 per cent), Gen X (75 per cent) and Baby Boomers at 69 per cent. And notably, while Gen Z’ers were dishonest about their sexual past, millennials were most likely to lie about their exercise habits. Gen X’ers tended to be dishonest about their alcohol consumption, while Baby Boomers told the most lies about their eating habits. But lying in most cases isn’t meant to be harmful, revealed the survey. Of the people, 58 per cent said they lied to avoid embarrassment, while 42 per cent lied to protect their privacy. Another reason why people chose to fib – a whopping 42 per cent – was to protect someone else from being reprimanded or punished. **Also read: Meet Christopher Massimine, the theatre producer who just can’t stop lying** Men are bigger liars The survey has also revealed that women are more likely to be at the receiving end of lies. This is because men admit to lying more regularly; 26 per cent men fib once a day compared to women (23 per cent). The survey also noted that the most common misconception about deception is that women are better at spotting it than men are. The survey found that almost everyone — 97 per cent, to be exact — is bad at identifying when someone is lying. “Not only do they struggle to work out when someone is telling lies, but they also believe several myths about lying,” the survey found. Also read: Tall Tales: The truth behind children lying Signs to catch liars So, how exactly can we find out if someone is lying to us? Experts have stated that there are several tell-tale signs to note if a person is lying or not. Nervousness is the single-most easy way of finding out if a person is being dishonest. The study said that 85 per cent of respondents noted nervousness as a sign of lying. A whopping 85 per cent of respondents also associated a failure to maintain eye contact as a sign of lying and this was followed by fidgeting at 63 per cent and sweating at 61.08 per cent. Playing with one’s hair, stuttering, touching one’s face, overuse of hand gestures and even the rate at which one blinks their eyes are other signs one must look out for to avoid being lied to. What about you? Have you lied on your resume or to your boss? Are you one of the millennials that is being dishonest? What happens to the honesty is the best policy adage now? With inputs from agencies