Talking point: Why do we lie?

In this week's talking point, we are dealing with the topic of lies. Get together with the members of your conversation group and discuss the questions below.

Why do we lie?

What do people usually lie about?

Do you know anyone who never lies?

Talk about the most honest person you know.

Talk about a person you know who lies very easily.

Are all lies bad or can you tell a good lie?

Is it OK to tell white lies?

How many lies did you hear today?

Have you ever told a lie that caused a problem for you?

Have you ever got into trouble because someone lied?

What do you think about these two remarks?

"Liars need to have good memories."

"Lies have very short legs."

To help you prepare your conversation session, you can read the Wall Street Journal article Why we lie by Dan Ariely.

We have already posted a number of entries around the topic of lies on this blog:

When is it OK to to tell a lie is a video from the Speakout series.

How to spot a liar is a TED talk.

How to detect a lie is a Howcast listening activity.

This Videojug clip can show you how you can detect if someone is lying to you. You can find a listening activity here.