Most of us have been guilty of telling a porky pie at some point in our lives. In fact, studies show that the majority of people will tell at least one lie a day.
But all these mistruths are having a hidden impact on our brains.
Whether it's an excuse for being late or bending the truth to avoid being unkind, lying has become part of human nature.
Professor Timothy Levine works at the University of Alabama and studies deception. He says while some people can go days without telling a lie, there are a rare few who lie a lot.
“Probably the biggest liar that we know of in recent times is probably Donald Trump. By the end of his presidency, he was averaging around 30 or 40 things that the fact checkers could prove false per day.”
Professor Levine’s research shows that most people actually want to be truthful. But when it comes to fabricating things, 80-90 per cent of the time it's what's called an ‘avoidance lie’ often used in social scenarios.
“So, a friend asked if you wanna go out, ‘oh, I'm sorry, I've got plans, I've got another engagement’. So, little kind of false excuses for why you can't, ” Professor Levine says.
While that all may seem harmless, those fibs actually take a toll says Sharon Box, who is the Lead Behavioural Investigator at Sydney-based behavioural science outfit Mind Hush Group.
Telling fibs is not as harmless as you might think, in fact, it wears down your brain. Credit: uniquely india/Getty Images/photosindia
"So when we're just being truthful, our brain, our bodies, our faces, our emotions, everything's all in sync, everything's synchronized and just sort of ticking along.
“What happens in our brain is every time we lie, our body is preparing us for this fight or flight response because it's going into stress because it's not a normal behaviour for us."
This means that depending on the nature of the lie, that behaviour can actually do some serious damage over time.
“So the body releases cortisol and adrenaline and cortisol is helpful for us because it helps us regulate lots of our bodily processes, “ Ms Box explains.
“But over time, if we are constantly producing all this excess cortisol, it actually starts to damage our brain. So what happens is it starts to affect our thinking part of our brain and the amygdala [a cluster of cells near the base of the brain which have a key role in regulating memory, decision making and emotional response].
“So over time, all the sort of electricity and the neurons in our brains, they're getting worn down by all this cortisol, which is constantly being flooded into the brain.
"So, there are consequences in time, if you're constantly being dishonest because the anxiety, the guilt, the stress, it all builds up.”
Ms Box says that it’s also not just our brain taking a hit when we lie, she says it also causes people to prematurely age.
“When we are lying, our heart rate increases, we've got more blood pumping to the brain. Um, we've got more wear and tear on our heart and our organs and our kidneys produce the adrenaline as well. So we are literally just wearing ourselves out from the inside.”
In saying that, both experts agree there will always be a place in society for some well-intended ‘white lies’.
“Most people really don't appreciate bluntness, it can cause more social harm than good, ” Professor Levine says.
“I tend to think of good communication skills as not being deceptive, but not being blunt to the point of rudeness.”
Sharon Box agrees there’s a place for telling the truth and times when it might be better to not.
“There are times where we do need to bend the truth. And I think those little white lies, which we tell for a good reason, I think they're essential in life. “
