What Is Mythomania?
Alexander Pope, a British poet, said that "the one who tells a lie does not realize the work he undertakes, because he has to invent another thousand to sustain the first."
However, there are people who fall into the spider web of mythomania and make lying their way of life, this means, they become compulsive liars.
How are Sporadic Lies Different from Mythomania?
The lie is not alien to us, we resort to it from childhood and even as adults. A study conducted at the University of Massachusetts revealed that 60% of people lie at least once during a ten-minute conversation, falling into what is known as "sporadic lies."
However, behind the habit of compulsive lying the desire to obtain something or avoid punishment is not always hidden, the mythomaniac usually lies without having a valid reason, out of compulsion. This tendency to compulsively lie can put you in ridiculous situations or lead you to make up untenable stories. In fact, even though the mythomaniac knows he has been discovered, he may continue to lie and further complicate his narrative.
For the mythomaniac, lying becomes a habit, it is his way of relating. This person not only feels the need to lie in the situations that are against him to avoid the consequences but also in the small details, even if he does not gain anything from it. Those with mythomania may feel weird telling the truth but are comfortable lying.
The problem is that when disregarding the truth becomes a habit and falls into the pathological liar, the mythomaniac will have to face different difficulties because he loses the trust of others. A pathological liar can lose his job, have family problems, break up with his partner and suffer social isolation.
However, behind the habit of compulsive lying the desire to obtain something or avoid punishment is not always hidden, the mythomaniac usually lies without having a valid reason, out of compulsion. This tendency to compulsively lie can put you in ridiculous situations or lead you to make up untenable stories. In fact, even though the mythomaniac knows he has been discovered, he may continue to lie and further complicate his narrative.
For the mythomaniac, lying becomes a habit, it is his way of relating. This person not only feels the need to lie in the situations that are against him to avoid the consequences but also in the small details, even if he does not gain anything from it. Those with mythomania may feel weird telling the truth but are comfortable lying.
The problem is that when disregarding the truth becomes a habit and falls into the pathological liar, the mythomaniac will have to face different difficulties because he loses the trust of others. A pathological liar can lose his job, have family problems, break up with his partner and suffer social isolation.
The Roots of Pathological Lying Go Back to Childhood
The compulsive liar personality manifests itself in youth or adulthood, but the tendency to lie begins to be appreciated from childhood. Before the age of three, it is not possible to speak of lies in the strictest sense of the term, since children are not able to clearly distinguish reality from fantasy, but later on, their lavish imagination urges them to falsify reality.
The tendency to lie compulsively can take hold as a result of punishments received in childhood. Therefore, one way to prevent evolutionary lies from giving way to mythomania is not to punish children when they tell little lies that are born of their imagination and/or are part of their evolutionary stage. Instead of reinforcing negative behavior, it is better to explain the differences between reality and fantasy and promote values such as honesty and responsibility.
In other cases, pathological lying is the result of a tendency to shirk responsibilities. If parents allow the child to be untrue to avoid the consequences of her actions and always blame an imaginary friend or younger sibling, for example, lies can end up becoming a habit.
The tendency to lie compulsively can take hold as a result of punishments received in childhood. Therefore, one way to prevent evolutionary lies from giving way to mythomania is not to punish children when they tell little lies that are born of their imagination and/or are part of their evolutionary stage. Instead of reinforcing negative behavior, it is better to explain the differences between reality and fantasy and promote values such as honesty and responsibility.
In other cases, pathological lying is the result of a tendency to shirk responsibilities. If parents allow the child to be untrue to avoid the consequences of her actions and always blame an imaginary friend or younger sibling, for example, lies can end up becoming a habit.
What Happens in the Mythomaniac Brain?
Lies can bring a certain degree of pleasure to the mythomaniac. Knowing that each lie implies a level of risk generates an adrenaline rush that acts as a reward at the brain level and strengthens the mythomaniac response, thus closing a vicious circle.
Another theory suggests that mythomaniacs may have a less reactive amygdala to dishonest behavior. Researchers from University College London discovered that when we lie for the first time to win something, there is great activation of the amygdala, which is responsible for producing negative feelings that make us feel bad and limit the scope of the lie. However, as we continue to lie, that activation decreases.
Recently neuroscientists at the University of Southern California also found that the brain of compulsive liars is slightly different from those who usually tell the truth: it has up to 26% more white matter in the prefrontal cortex.
The white matter is involved in the transmission of information, which is why these researchers consider that a greater volume would imply a greater cognitive capacity to process lies and manipulate. In fact, in some cases the stories told by mythomaniacs are very well woven and credible as they contain a high level of detail, indicating that the person has been carefully processing that information.
Another theory suggests that mythomaniacs may have a less reactive amygdala to dishonest behavior. Researchers from University College London discovered that when we lie for the first time to win something, there is great activation of the amygdala, which is responsible for producing negative feelings that make us feel bad and limit the scope of the lie. However, as we continue to lie, that activation decreases.
Recently neuroscientists at the University of Southern California also found that the brain of compulsive liars is slightly different from those who usually tell the truth: it has up to 26% more white matter in the prefrontal cortex.
The white matter is involved in the transmission of information, which is why these researchers consider that a greater volume would imply a greater cognitive capacity to process lies and manipulate. In fact, in some cases the stories told by mythomaniacs are very well woven and credible as they contain a high level of detail, indicating that the person has been carefully processing that information.
Why Do We Lie?
Lying is usually a strategy to avoid reality and, therefore, the responsibility to face the consequences of certain acts or situations.
Different psychological disorders are linked to lying, since it is a form of avoidance, especially in the case of addictions, when the person does not want to recognize their problem or loses control and resorts to lying to maintain their addictive pattern. In fact, it is estimated that 92% of patients lie about their substance use, 25% about their alcohol use, and 58% about their addiction to gambling. With the life they lead and end up inventing a different one that makes them feel better. Typically, the mythomaniac builds a new memory to cover an unpleasant reality, which he replaces with a better story.
The truth is also often falsified to obtain some advantage, although it is not always a material benefit, but rather on an emotional level. With his lies, the mythomaniac gets the approval, respect, and/or affection that he needs. For this reason, in many cases, pathological liers hide a desire to attract attention, which is achieved by creating a false character that the person enriches with lies.
Different psychological disorders are linked to lying, since it is a form of avoidance, especially in the case of addictions, when the person does not want to recognize their problem or loses control and resorts to lying to maintain their addictive pattern. In fact, it is estimated that 92% of patients lie about their substance use, 25% about their alcohol use, and 58% about their addiction to gambling. With the life they lead and end up inventing a different one that makes them feel better. Typically, the mythomaniac builds a new memory to cover an unpleasant reality, which he replaces with a better story.
The truth is also often falsified to obtain some advantage, although it is not always a material benefit, but rather on an emotional level. With his lies, the mythomaniac gets the approval, respect, and/or affection that he needs. For this reason, in many cases, pathological liers hide a desire to attract attention, which is achieved by creating a false character that the person enriches with lies.
The Mythomania Treatment
Low self-esteem hides at the base of the pathological liar, the person believes that if he shows himself as he is, he will not be accepted. Mythomaniacs often have an insecure personality, so their lies are often nothing more than an imitation or plagiarism of the ideas, thoughts, or experiences of others, usually people they admire. Pathological liars also often lack social skills, so they try to replace them by resorting to lies, to appear more interesting and competent to those around them.
For this reason, the treatment of mythomania involves strengthening self-esteem, improving social and conflict resolution skills, and making the person feel satisfied with their reality and with themselves, so that they do not continuously experience the need to use pathological lying to disguise their world.
For this reason, the treatment of mythomania involves strengthening self-esteem, improving social and conflict resolution skills, and making the person feel satisfied with their reality and with themselves, so that they do not continuously experience the need to use pathological lying to disguise their world.
Have you had the experience of meeting a pathological liar?
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