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- [Narrator] Hey, Psych2goers.
Welcome back to our channel.
Thank you all so much for the love that you've given us.
Your ongoing support has helped us
make psychology and mental health
more accessible to everyone.
So thank you.
Now let's continue.
Have you ever crossed paths with someone
who told you a lot of tall tales?
Did they make claims about knowing famous celebrities
or did they lie about being stricken
with a life-threatening disease?
These types of people are known as pathological liars
and they have a compulsive urge to lie
about matters big and small, regardless of the situation.
This behavior puts a strain on your relationship with them
and makes them difficult to trust.
If we can recognize the signs of the pathological liar
we can better decide if we want to try and help them
or if it would be better to distance ourselves from them.
Before we begin, we would like to make a disclaimer.
This video is intended for educational purposes only.
Please do not self-diagnose or diagnose others.
Having one or all of these traits
does not automatically make you a pathological liar.
Although being a pathological liar
is not a psychiatric disorder
listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
for Mental Disorders.
It can be really distressing for you
to deal with a pathological liar in your life.
So here are the seven signs of a pathological liar
that you should look out for.
Number one, the stories they tell are unbelievably bizarre.
In many cases, a pathological liars grand stories
can easily be proven wrong.
If your initial reaction was, no way,
followed by utter confusion,
it's because you likely felt the story they told you
didn't make much sense.
For example, they may claim that they are close friends
with Bruce Lee to this very day.
But since he passed away in 1973
you can easily figure out that this story is a lie.
Number two, their stories change over time.
Pathological liars can tell very elaborate stories
to keep you engaged and interested.
However, they often can't remember
all the details of their fake stories.
So they wind up retelling you
the story differently each time.
For example, they may claim that they stay in touch
with Bruce Lee's friends
when they originally claimed to personally know him.
Number three, they don't like being doubted.
If you question them or catch them in a lie
they might get angry or express hostility towards you.
For instance, if you ask them about
whether they actually knew Bruce Lee or knew his friends,
you may be met with a clear attempt to change the topic.
Pathological liars want to avoid being questioned
about the believability of their stories.
Number four, they are quick thinkers.
Once you start to doubt how believable their story is
the pathological liar will think on their feet
to cover up their inconsistencies and past lies.
If you question them about their Bruce Lee story,
you may not even realize how seamless
their coverup story is.
They will quickly make up an answer to your question
even if it sounds bizarre.
Number five, they lack empathy.
At this point, you are probably really fed up with them
and their elaborate lies.
You know that they're making things up
and you start rolling your eyes
at anything they have to say.
Another sign of a pathological liar
is that they won't care about your feelings.
They'll continue to spend their tall tales
even if it makes you uncomfortable
being involved in the conversation.
This lack of empathy is one reason why pathological liars
can strain interpersonal relationships.
No one wants to be friends with someone
who makes them uncomfortable.
Number six, a pathological liar may be self-centered.
A pathological liar can be very preoccupied
with the claims that they make.
Their self-centeredness may be driven by their belief
that what they're saying is actually true.
As Joseph Goebbels says,
"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it,
"people will eventually come to believe it."
And so the cycle of repetitive lies continues.
The pathological liar tells a bizarre lie, covers it up,
and does whatever they can to keep up with the lie.
They may even feed off the attention they get
from telling all these tall tales.
And number seven,
they have a history of interpersonal challenges.
There's no wonder that pathological liars
can damage relationships.
They make you feel confused, uncomfortable
and are difficult people to trust.
So more often than not, problems like job instability,
substance abuse, and a history of broken relationships
may be present in their lives.
Do you recognize any of these traits in people you know?
Do you know of any other signs of a pathological liar
that we may have missed?
Let us know in the comments below.
Please like and share this video if it helped you
and you think it could help someone else too.
The studies and references used
are listed in the description below.
Don't forget to hit the subscribe button
for more Psych2Go videos.
And thank you for watching.
We'll see you next time.
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