Liar, Liar, pants on fire

Just doing another one of those short tests on the Psychologies Magazine website.  This time on how honest are you?  Sometimes I think I’m too honest for my own good and it can cause offence, but if you’re going to ask me if you butt looks big in that outfit, and I think it does, then I’ll tell you.  If you didn’t want a truthful answer, then don’t ask the question.  Sometimes, it is better to be economical with the truth but I personally don’t like being lied to and I try my utmost not to do it to anyone else.

Instead of the usual 10 questions, this test had 16, ranging from what you would tell a friend or partner about something that they’d bought, if you didn’t like it, to whether you’d confess to a driving accident whilst being on the phone or not going to see a friend or relative because you really don’t feel like it, but can’t bring yourself to tell them.

No surprises, but my results were:

You hate to lie

People who are good liars frighten you. You don’t admire them and you would even go as far as to say they’re dangerous. Their lack of morals shocks and worries you. You are the opposite. Your watch words are transparency and truth. You try to prove as often as possible that you are completely trustworthy. You reserve the right to say whatever you need to say, whether or not it pleases others. It’s courageous of you to be as honest as you are, but your quest for authenticity can sometimes come across as intransigence. You tend to be stubborn and demand that others share your values. Diplomacy is a good quality to have, and it demands a certain attitude to the truth – one that you have difficulty with. You fear lies because you don’t like the idea of someone lying to you. Are you afraid of being led down the garden path? Perhaps it brings back experiences from your past that you would rather forget. Lying is certainly not a positive thing, but perhaps lies could add nuance to your arguments or dress up reality when you want to be humane and not cause too much pain.

I wouldn’t have the brass nerve to say that I didn’t do something when I did, it would be my luck that there’s CCTV footage or something that proves that I did.  Someone at work reversed into my car whilst I was stationary and when we both put insurance claims in, she suddenly accused me of driving in to her.  Even filling out the forms I felt like I was being accused, even though I was absolutely telling it how it was.  Of course the CCTV camera didn’t actually cover that part of the car park, and it was dark so no one else saw it, but did she also not hear me beeping the horn as I saw her coming at me?  That prompted me to get dashcams, front and back, for my car.  No one’s going to try that one again.

I do appreciate that sometimes it’s better to be economical, but in those circumstances I try not to say anything at all. Or if pushed I might say something like “well, its not my cup of tea but if you like it, that’s all that matters”. 

I’m reminded of the line in the film The Nativity by the catholic priest talking to the teacher (which you have to say in an Irish accent) “a lie, is a lie, is a lie”.