Is lying easily a good thing or bad thing?

You’re only lying to yourself at the end of the day, whether it’s good or bad is entirely your business.

Define “good”... It’s certainly useful.

The ability is good. The fact that you use it casually is not.

It depends what you’re lying about, your motivation and intention. So why do you lie and what do you lie about and what do you hope to gain?

Good thing when you’re a CIA agent.

Here’s the problem. Lies always catch up with you. The truth always will come out, eventually. That’s just the karma of the world.

So whether you find lying easy or hard, you will always be found out. Sometimes it can be laughed off, but sometimes it is terribly embarrassing.

Bottom line: Don’t lie. it’s easier on you in the long run.

Well, it’s one of the characteristics of psychopaths. If it’s done routinely with the intent of manipulating others and there’s no accompanying feeling of stress or guilt, then your internal governor for regulating social and moral behavior is probably not functioning well. That’s kind of what “bad” means.

If you’re curious, here’s a simple psychopathy test.

I’m not a fan of liars, casual or otherwise. We all tell “white lies,” typically to avoid hurting someone’s feelings, and I’ve justified a fair amount of those in my time. But your description of when/why you lie doesn’t sit well with me; and, as others point out, will bite you in the butt at some point.

“Lying is a skill like any other. And if you want to maintain a level of excellence, you have to practice constantly.” – Elim Garak, Cardassian Master Spy

It’s very bad. Eventually, your lies will catch up with you, and you will not be considered trustworthy.

I know two compulsive liars . The result is that nobody believes a word they say. I would hate living like that. It’s terrible when their mothers say they’re liars. Then you hear it from the people they work with.

I’ve never opined on this out loud, because like many life issues, this one—for me, at least—is difficult to come down hard as purely either right or wrong. But I;ll give it a shot.

A liar is one thing. If you’ve ever been in a work or personal relationship with a pathological liar —I have—you know that dealing with one can be exhausting at best, downright frightening at worst.

But a lie is something else. It can be dangerous as in a government coverup, or it can be protective, as in safeguarding public security, or—and I know this is a highly debatable opinion—allowing a young child to believe in Santa up to a certain age.

I know there will be those who disagree with me. It’s a topic I’d love to explore further.

Good for you, bad for those around you.

Social Science says that “lying is a Survival Tactic” .... think about it. How does Diplomacy work? Generally, countries don’t blatantly tell the truth, because too much truth would simply derail the effort at Diplomacy. On a personal level, it is better to tell the truth to your family & friends, because getting caught up in a lie tends to build distrust.

I don’t believe that the truth always comes out or that all lies are deceitful and a symptom of some greater disfunction.

Lying easily is a skill, but too much, too often, will eventually lead to that skill becoming a detriment.

@Pachyderm_In_The_Room I agree. That’s why I asked @XOIIO for more info. There are times when a lie is not a bad thing.

“I find it no problem to lie…”

I don’t believe you.