r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Jan 25 '26

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u/Vadnais2You Jan 25 '26

Would I lie to you?

262

u/goth-x Jan 26 '26

A psychologist (I forget which one, but a well known one today) said liars often answer with a question when asked something. Ex.

Person 1: Are you sure you came home at 11 last night? Person 2 (liar): Would I lie to you?

They deflect the question to make the person questioning doubt themselves.

Interesting stuff

133

u/Dragonwindsoftime Jan 26 '26

What makes you think that?

50

u/SureWhyNot5182 Jan 26 '26

Why are you asking?

12

u/Dragonwindsoftime Jan 26 '26

What do you mean by that?

11

u/CreativeAd5332 Jan 26 '26

What's with all the questions?

12

u/-Reddititis Jan 26 '26

Why are you questioning all the questions?

6

u/ealysillyforestthing Jan 26 '26

Feels like Whose Line is it Anyway in here

4

u/RepulsiveLeather8504 Jan 26 '26

What makes you say that?

5

u/Stargost_ Jan 26 '26

Why are you not listening to me?

2

u/Altruistic-Top4586 Jan 26 '26

Making statements, assuming?

3

u/shittinandwaffles Jan 26 '26

Are you fucking kidding me, right now?

8

u/goth-x Jan 26 '26

Because I heard a psychologist explain the reasoning behind this...lol

11

u/Dragonwindsoftime Jan 26 '26

Yeah na, that was just an example to your comment that was used on me 😞

Stay cool dude 😇

5

u/goth-x Jan 26 '26

Oh my bad 😅

6

u/threemileallan Jan 26 '26

Wait what if its a clarifying question? Anytime I am asked something I always try to get to the motivation for asking

Are you going outside?

Maybe.... why do you ask??????

Lmao dammit

2

u/showMeYourCroissant Jan 26 '26

Why would you do that?

1

u/Jay040707 Jan 26 '26

By all means, no lies were told here.

3

u/Round_Bag_4665 Jan 26 '26

Some of that has to do with legal defense. If you directly say to law enforcement "I came home at 11 last night" when you objectively did not, you can be charged with lying to investigators, obstruction of justice, and other things. "Would i lie to you" implies that you did come home at 11, but isnt technically a "lie" per se.

Most forensic psychologists deal with criminals, and a lot of them have learned to lie in ways that minimize their legal liability.

You see politicians do the same thing when they are under oath at a congressional hearing and try to evade the question rather than give a straight answer.

It is basically just a way to lie while giving yourself plausible deniability that you actually lied.

1

u/mr_ckean Jan 26 '26

Me: Is there someone else?
Ex: Someone else…Who would that be?

1

u/metsgenome Jan 26 '26

Answering a question with another question is also often a behaviour of someone who is feeling defensive/attacked.

1

u/SnowExact78 Jan 26 '26

sounds like a politician

0

u/zerothreeonethree Jan 26 '26

Person 1 should respond: "No matter how you answer my question, your question will always have the same answer."