Last Updated on February 14, 2024 by Lifevif Team and JC Franco
Sometimes we see lying as a good thing, and sometimes it is. But there are appropriate times to lie and bad times to lie. Let’s look at the disadvantages and drawbacks of telling a lie.
The biggest disadvantage to lying about things, no matter how big or small, is that, eventually, you will lose the trust of those around you. People will think of you as a liar and will only expect you to lie when asked about anything.
In this article, we’ll be discussing all the disadvantages and drawbacks you will face should you continue to lie about things.
1. People Will Lose Trust in You
The biggest drawback of lying is people will not trust you anymore. This is because you will have proven yourself to be a dishonest, untrustworthy person, and people will no longer expect the truth from you. No one will know if any word that comes out of your mouth is the truth or a lie.
2. You Will Lose Friendships
If you keep lying to your friends about little, stupid things, they may end up deciding that they no longer want you as a friend or as part of their lives. This is because they’ll never know when you are telling the truth and when you are lying, which can be mentally exhausting.
Your friends will not want to be constantly wondering if you are being honest with them; they will begin to doubt you and won’t want to spend any time with you. Even if you tell the truth, they may begin to question you because of all the lies you have told.
3. You May Lose Family
They say that family will love you no matter what, which is true in most cases. But if you keep lying and deceiving your family, they may end up cutting you out of their lives.
Unfortunately, most people don’t have the emotional strength to help someone who always lies. They say you hurt the ones you love the most, but remember, everyone has their limits.
4. You Could Be Viewed As Untrustworthy
When you keep lying about little things, people around you will start thinking of you as being untrustworthy and will no longer turn to you for advice or to tell you something personal. If done in the workplace, this could be a career-ending move.
5. Lies Can Hurt More Than the Truth
Sometimes we feel that lying to spare someone’s feelings is better than telling them the truth. However, should the person who was lied to find out the truth, they may be more hurt by your actions rather than what you were trying to hide.
You could hurt a person with the truth, but your friendship or relationship could survive the outcome. If a lie is told and found out, it may be the end of your friendship.
6. People Won’t Confide in You
If you keep lying to people by telling them they can trust you with their secrets, they will eventually stop coming to you about personal matters. This is because they will expect you to turn around and talk to someone else about their personal issues. You will find fewer and fewer people wanting to spend time with you.
7. You Will Eventually Be Caught in a Lie
You’ll eventually get caught, no matter how good you think a lie is. This could take a matter of hours, or it could take years. But the longer a lie builds, the worse the consequences for you will be.
Will you be able to keep up with all the lies you have told and who you have told them to? But more so, why would you want to even have to do this?
8. Maintaining a Lie is a Lot of Work
When you lie about anything, you need to keep the lie consistent. If you don’t, someone will know you are lying. This is a lot of work and will eventually wear you down mentally, and you will be caught in your lie.
Emotionally, you will feel drained and will end up avoiding situations as you don’t want to have to keep up a front.
9. The Aftermath of a Lie Can be Devastating
If you have lied to someone about something incredibly serious, the truth coming out can be life-altering and not in a good way. An example of this would be lying to your spouse about seeing someone, even just as friends. Your spouse will lose trust in you, and you could lose your relationship.
10. You Could Harm Someone’s Reputation
Sometimes you may think that starting a silly rumor about someone would be fun and humorous. However, creating such a rumor could result in the other person being viewed negatively by their friends and colleagues.
A joke to you could greatly scar a person. An example of this is kids at school; a mere joke or rumor can stick with kids throughout their schooling career and cause them a great deal of emotional damage.
11. You Could Cost Someone Their job
If you lie about someone in your workplace because you don’t like them or because they did something to upset you, you may end up costing them their job. This is especially true if you lie about something extremely serious.
12. Nobody Will Expect You to Tell the Truth
If you show people you will lie about silly things, they will stop expecting the truth from you. People may also start to create distance in their relationships with you, as they will not know what stories or possible rumors you will spread.
13. You Might Develop a Negative Reputation
When you keep lying to people about little things, they will eventually realize you are a liar, and they will tell other people to be wary of you. This will result in you developing a negative reputation which could haunt you for the rest of your life.
14. You Could Teach Someone That Lying is a Good Thing
If you lie around your child or someone else’s child (and they find out), you may teach them that lying is a good thing, and they will start lying themselves. This can be a very difficult situation to rectify.
15. Lies are Damaging
In the long run, lies are never a good thing and could hurt many people in many different ways. For example, you could destroy your own or someone else’s reputation with just one small lie. Lies and hurt linger; do you really want to put yourself or someone else through that?
16. You Could Develop a Terrible Habit
When you lie often enough, you may develop a habit of lying. This will leave you unable to control yourself, and you may end up lying even when you don’t want to. Lying will become the normal way of life for you; it is a habit that no one should ever develop.
17. You Could Lie at the Worst Time
You may end up so used to lying that you may not realize that a lie could be absolutely devastating. Unfortunately, this will result in you unintentionally hurting someone you care deeply about.
You will harm your relationships and yourself greatly; lies cause more damage and cut deeper than one may think. A lie may slip out but will not stay hidden for long, and when the truth comes out, you will regret that lie.
In Closing
There are times when lying could be a good thing, but more often than not, someone will get hurt in the process of lying. Whether it’s the liar or the person who has been lied to, nobody is happy when a lie is discovered. Be true to yourself and honest to others; be the person that you would want to hang around with.
This article was co-authored by our team of in-house and freelance writers, and reviewed by our editors, who share their experiences and knowledge about the "Seven F's of Life".
JC Franco
JC Franco is a New York-based editor for Lifevif. He mainly focuses on content about faith, spirituality, personal growth, finance, and sports. He graduated from Mercyhurst University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business, majoring in Marketing. He is a certified tennis instructor who teaches in the New York City Metropolitan area. In terms of finance, he has passed the Level I exam of the CFA program.