It is not just politicians who lie; all people lie, and everyone pretends honesty is essential. Even priests and policemen lie. We hear about this almost daily. You know that people lie. This is not big news. Therefore, you shouldn't trust yourself either.
So, if all people lie to themselves and others, this must mean that lying is a natural human trait. But why are you then ashamed when you lie? And why do you get upset when other people are lying to you? What if the birds were sorry they could fly?
Robert Trivers thinks that self-deception has an evolutionary origin. He says that if you can convince yourself that you are better than you are, you can more easily deceive others. Your scam becomes more challenging to expose if you believe it yourself.
Here's another hypothesis I've come up with: Reality is too unpleasant to live in. It's like a winter's day in a biting wind and snow slush. You have to find some kind of mental escape.
It's nice to share a bottle of wine or two with a friend, but drinking a bottle or two every day can turn you into a drunkard. You can't always be sincere, but lying too much and too often can also turn you into an unpleasant jerk.
