Research has shown that even parents, teachers, husbands/wives, the police, judges and other specialists catch lies only half of the time.
Lying and its behavioral cohorts such as deception, distortion, hiding the truth, embellishment, exaggeration, cheating, etc., seems to occur naturally, especially in a life-threatening situation. Research shows that the average person lies at least once a day.
But surely there is vast difference between an unintentional statement based on a mistake and a deliberate goal of misleading an audience. The motivation or cause of presenting false information is the determining factor here.
Some researchers have indicated that presenting untruths seems to be tied to a need not only to deceive others but also oneself. Perhaps this was the case of Mr. Trump offering false assurances at the start of the pandemic that the COVID-19 crisis was similar to typical seasonal flus.
(Pikemalt saab lugeda Eesti Elu 15. oktoobri 2021 paber- ja PDF/digilehest)