Description: A pathological liar is someone who tells compulsive lies that do not have a clear motive or benefit. Learn more about the possible causes and how to cope with this behavior in others.
Sooner or later we learn that lying is "bad," and we shouldn't really do it. But if Jim Carey's "Liar Liar" taught us anything, it's that this just isn't feasible. We all have to lie sometimes.
But some people are pathological liars, meaning they can't stop spreading misinformation about themselves and others. The psychological reasons for why some people are this way is a bit of a mystery, but in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, pathological lying is a disorder in its own right, as well as a symptom of personality disorders like psychopathy and narcissism.
"I think it comes from a defect in the neurological wiring in terms of what causes us to have compassion and empathy," psychiatrist Judith Orloff, author of " The Empath's Survival Guide ," told Business Insider. "Because narcissists, sociopaths, and psychopaths have what's called empathy deficient disorder, meaning they don't feel empathy in the way we would."