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Internet commenters flocked to a popular internet forum after a viral post inspired thousands to share their worst experiences with pathological liars.
Responding to a Reddit post published on the platform's r/AskReddit forum, Redditors were asked to answer two questions: "Have you ever met a chronic liar?," and if so, "What were their worst lies?"
The viral post has received more than 13,800 votes and 6,100 comments.
Recounting experiences with friends, family members, coworkers, and other acquaintances seemingly incapable of telling the truth, commenters were quick to offer up their wildest stories.
In one comment, Redditor u/Otherwise_Bill_5898 said he worked with a man who he thought told a new lie every day.
"I worked with a guy like this... every story was a lie," they commented.
"He told me surveyed the football stadium in our town prior to its construction. I checked the dates...he was a qualified surveyor at 6 years old," they continued, sarcastically. "Then he told me his body chemistry was immune to acid. You could pour battery acid on him and it would not affect him."
"There were dozens of small ones and a few real big ones," they added.
Telling extravagant lies without motive besides lying is a symptom of pathological lying — a behavior Healthline defines as chronic, compulsive, and habitual.
According to Healthline, "while a person might lie to avoid an uncomfortable situation... a pathological liar tells lies or stories that don't have an objective benefit." In many cases, these untrue stories paint the storyteller as a hero, or a victim, in order to gain admiration or sympathy.
In a 2020 study published in the journal Psychiatric Research and Clinical Practice, researchers reported that 13 percent of surveyed people indicated that they self-identified, or that others had identified them as pathological liars.
The study, which revealed that identified pathological liars "reported greater distress, impaired functioning, and more danger than people not considered pathological liars," aimed to test whether pathological lying could be a diagnostic entity, although it has not been recognized as a psychological disorder.
While few commenters responding to the viral Reddit post were able to prove that the liars they have dealt with were identified pathological liars, many recounted experiences consistent with the behavior.
Redditor u/kenos99, whose comment has received 5,800 votes, described a person they knew as a compulsive liar and said they couldn't stop themselves from telling outlandish stories.
"Every single story anyone had to share he had a story to top that one," they commented. "Got high score on a game? He got higher. Had an awesome vacation? His was better. Climbed a mountain? So did he... but without fear. Got into a bar fight? He once fought 4 dudes at once!"
Detailing lies told by a high school classmate, Redditor u/post_angst re-told one of the classmate's bizarre fables.
"I went to high school with a pathological liar that you could just nudge a tiny bit and he'd go off on these long, elaborate and impossible stories," they wrote in a comment which has received 5,400 votes.
"The best one was when he supposedly got chased by a police helicopter through the woods while stashing an 18-pack of beer down his pants," they added. "He ended up outrunning the helicopter."
Amid a sea of comments about people lying about everything from their sexual history with every member of multiple iconic bands to why they were late for work, Redditor u/IcyVirto (whose comment has received 24,000 votes) speculated that some of the post's responses were untrue.
"The irony is that there will be liars in this thread making up their worst lies," they wrote.
About the writer
Taylor McCloud is a Newsweek staff writer based in California. His focus is reporting on trending and viral topics. Taylor ... Read more