Liar, Liar - Are You Hard Wired?

Great story on NPR this morning - apparently, people who are habitual liars have more 'white matter' in their pre-frontal cortex (the part of our brains, located just behind our foreheads, that controls judgment and inter-personal relationships). The 'white matter' indicates the connections that we have between the 'gray matter' in our brains - the 'gray matter' is the part of the brain that contains our neurons.

So....the big question....is habitual lying CAUSED by these extra connections, OR are extra connections developed BECAUSE of habitual lying. If it's the former, it makes you wonder if some of us are hard-wired, so to speak, to lie.

Also, parents and teachers - just so you know, children from age 2-10 experience a growth-spurt in these connections - just about the time that children develop the skill to lie...So, in some ways, lying is developmental and normal. Parents and teachers can certainly address lying, and need to, but also need to look at the physiology of the child's brain AND balance that with life lessons and opportunities to tell the truth. Setting up an environment where the child doesn't feel the need to lie is a first step.

Hear the story by clicking HERE.

Thanks for reading,

Alisa