Lying seems to be pretty much standard human practice: it seems virtually everyone does it to a greater or lesser extent. So why do we hate being caught? Depending on the situation, being caught lying can make you seem untrustworthy, unreliable or dishonest. These are negative character attributes that we try to avoid. The reason is probably that untrustworthy individuals are likely to be ejected from social groups which, for early humans who lived in groups like other primates still do, amounted to a death sentence. Therefore our dislike of being caught lying is a hangover from our past. It serves as a reminder to avoid lying (or at least being caught) for one's long-term safety.
展开▼
