Autism could change how people understand social signals, which could make it difficult for them to recognize or engage in lying. Individuals with autism may find it challenging to spot lies or small acts of dishonesty because they tend to take things literally and may not grasp the motive for these deceitful acts.
On the other hand, they are also less likely to tell lies themselves, as they appreciate honesty due to their straightforward nature.
Studies show that “higher the autistic traits, the less individuals perceive the liar as behaving intentionally. In the case of more complex lies, autistic traits indirectly relate to recognition of lies through attribution of intentionality.”
Many individuals with autism have the inclination to speak honestly and directly, so they often find it difficult to understand the concept of lying. Lying requires knowing how others feel and think, which can be challenging for some individuals with autism.
This proves to be difficult for them to understand why people lie, when it is okay to lie (such as to avoid hurting someone’s feelings e.g. when asked “how do I look?”), and how to tell lies themselves.
Understanding Autism and Lies
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) presents certain challenges in communication, social interactions, and grasping abstract ideas. A key difficulty for individuals with autism is understanding the difference between truth and lies.
While most people intuitively learn how to tell when someone is being honest or lying, individuals with autism may find this technique more challenging because of how they process information and experience the world, therefore, making them more susceptible to deception and lies.
- Literal thinking in autism – Individuals with autism often take language very literally, which could be difficult for them to understand the idea of lying or recognize when someone is not being honest, or being deceitful. They might find it difficult to think abstractly, which is a crucial technique to understand deception.
- Difficulties with social cues – People with autism may struggle to notice social cues, such as body language, facial expressions, or tone of voice, that could indicate that someone is lying. This proves to be challenging for them to realize when someone is being dishonest.
- Inclination to be honest – Many individuals with autism tend to incline towards honesty as they think literally and follow rules to a tee. They often value the absolute truth and may feel uncomfortable or confused about the concept of lying, even in situations where others might lie to avoid conflict or intimidating situations.
- Misinterpretation of lies – Individuals with autism may accidentally say things that may come off as lies because they see situations in a different way. For instance, they might talk about something that is true for them or something that they have experienced, but it may sound confusing or wrong to others.
- Challenges in detecting white lies – White lies, which are often accepted in social situations, often told to avoid conflicts, hurting someone’s feelings, or de-escalate heated arguments, could be confusing for individuals with autism. They may not understand why someone would lie or say something false to avoid hurting feelings or confrontation.
- Focus on objective facts – Many individuals with autism pay close attention to facts, often memorizing lots of data. This makes dishonest behavior such as telling lies difficult for them because it contradicts objective facts. This intense focus on truth could make them uncomfortable in situations where lying is common or expected.
High Functioning Autism and Lying
High-functioning autism and “regular” autism (also known as autism across the spectrum) differ in how individuals comprehend social cues and concepts of deception and lying. Individuals with high-functioning autism usually possess better speaking and thinking skills, and have higher intelligence, so they may be more aware of social rules, including lying.
However, their literal thinking and difficulty understanding other people’s thoughts still make it hard for them to spot lies or understand deception.
On the other hand, people with “regular” autism, especially those who are non-verbal or have more severe intellectual problems, may struggle even more with comprehending deception and are less likely to recognize when someone is lying because of bigger social and cognitive differences.
While both groups find it challenging to detect lies, the level of understanding could vary depending on their abilities.
- Difficulty Understanding Intentions – Individuals with HFA (High-functioning autism) may struggle to understand the intentions of others, including the reasons behind why they lie. This could prove to be challenging for them to distinguish between harmful lies and benign ones, which could result in confusion about when lying is appropriate or not.
- Moral Rigidity – Many individuals on the autism spectrum have a strong stance of morality, which could make them uncomfortable with the idea of lying, as it may feel morally wrong to them. They may view lying as a violation of trust and have difficulty comprehending when others lie to maintain peace.
- Tendency to Trust Easily – Individuals with HFA, more often than not, assume that others are as honest as they are. They might not expect or recognize manipulative behavior, which could make them more susceptible to deception. Their difficulty in understanding the reasons behind lying further increases this vulnerability.
- Over-Reliance on Logical Thinking – While individuals with HFA have strong logical and analytical skills, white lies or deception often do not follow predictable, logical patterns. This discordance between logic and social dynamics could make it difficult for them to spot manipulation, especially in more emotional or intense situations.
- Overconfidence in Cognitive Abilities – Some individuals with HFA may have high confidence in their intellectual abilities, which may lead them to believe they could detect lies or avoid being deceived. However, since deception often involves emotional or subtle social cues, they may not be successful in effectively identifying dishonesty.
- Challenges in Emotional Awareness – Deceptive behavior often involves manipulating emotions or taking advantage of emotional vulnerabilities. Individuals with HFA may find it difficult to recognize and understand these emotional dynamics, making them more vulnerable to those who use emotions to deceive or manipulate.
Autism and Compulsive Lying
Compulsive lying and autism could be an intricate topic as individuals with Autism may exhibit behaviors and mannerisms that could be easily mistaken for lying and deception. Those with autism often struggle with communicating in a social setting, understanding social cues, and comprehending body language, which could result in people questioning their motives or not believing what they convey.
For many individuals with autism, thinking literally and struggling to comprehend abstract ideas could impact how they view situations and tell the truth. They might say what they think others want to hear or repeat things they have heard, without meaning to lie.
On the other hand, compulsive lying involves regularly lying for no apparent reason, which could often be linked to other mental health conditions, like personality disorders, rather than autism.
- Compulsive lying in autism – While compulsive lying is not a key characteristic of autism, some individuals with autism might lie compulsively due to anxiety, difficulty in comprehending consequences, as a coping mechanism to avoid stressful situations, or because they might feel uncomfortable in a setting.
- Executive function challenges – People with autism more often than not, struggle with their executive functioning, which could lead to compulsive lying without thinking about the consequences of lying.
- Mimicking behavior – Some individuals with autism may mimic others’ behaviors, including lying, in social situations, even if they do not fully understand the context or reason for the behavior. They might try lying to ‘fit in’ but others might view this behavior as conniving or deceptive, and think they lie in every social situation.
- Self-preservation – Individuals with autism may use compulsive lying as a strategy to protect themselves in unknown or unfamiliar environments where they feel unsafe or misunderstood.
- Anxiety-driven behavior – Compulsive lying in some people with autism could stem from anxiety or fear of consequences. They may lie to avoid punishment or uncomfortable situations, more specifically, in high-pressure environments.
- Sensory overload – As individuals with autism already struggle with regulation of emotions, during times of sensory overload or overwhelming emotions, they might lie compulsively as an immediate response to escape or end the overstimulation.
Do People with Autism Lie?
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) commonly communicate in an honest and straightforward way. They often find lying challenging because they struggle with identifying social cues, thinking abstractly, and viewing things from other people’s perspectives.
Many individuals with autism believe lying is unethical and prefer to stick to the truth and facts to maintain clarity. This is linked to their love of routine and order. Because of this, telling lies or even comprehending why others lie could be especially difficult for them.
- Moral discomfort – Some individuals with autism may view lying as inherently wrong or unethical, which could result in an aversion to deceptive behavior and manipulation.
- Trouble with improvisation – Lying often calls for quick thinking and adaptability, which could be difficult for individuals with autism who may prefer structured, organized, and predictable interactions.
- Social consequences – People with autism may not fully comprehend the social reasons behind lying, like considering someone’s feelings, which could make it challenging for them to view lying as a socially acceptable behavior.
- Desire for clear rules – Many individuals with autism prefer clear, established rules and guidelines, which often emphasize the importance of honesty, reinforcing their preference for truth-telling, therefore, making it difficult for them to lie.
- Challenges with role-playing – Lying may sometimes involve role-playing or imagining oneself in different situations, a skill that many people with autism find challenging due to problems with imaginative play as they may struggle with flexible thinking.
- Fear of being caught – Some people with autism might experience heightened anxiety around the possibility of being caught while lying, which could lead them to avoid lying altogether.
Autism and Lying in Adults
Autism could profoundly impact how individuals perceive and engage in social interactions, including the act of lying or even deception. Some might struggle with deception due to a preference for straightforwardness and honesty, while others may use “white lies” to handle social situations and ‘fit in’.
The way people with autism understand lying stems from their unique experiences, social awareness, and executive functioning, highlighting the diversity in how these behaviors are apparent across the autism spectrum.
- Intellectual understanding of lying – Some adults with autism may understand what lying is in theory, but they may find it challenging to use it in real life, especially for tricks or manipulation. Consequently, they prefer to lie less, though they might try it out to learn about social interactions.
- Internal conflict – Some individuals on the autism spectrum may feel confused and conflicted when they are put in situations where lying seems expected. They might feel guilty about deceiving others, especially if it goes against their morals and ethical values, even if the lie seems harmless or acceptable in social situations.
- Desire for acceptance – Some adults with autism might prefer to occasionally lie to be accepted by others, especially if they notice that lying is not uncommon in social situations. However, this may be more about wanting to belong than being good at lying. Over time, they may realize that engaging in white lies, like saying they are doing fine when they are not, could help them avoid uncomfortable social conversations.
- Prioritizing authenticity over fitting in – Many adults with autism value being honest and true to themselves, which could result in them trying to avoid lying altogether. If they think that engaging in lying goes against their morals, they may choose to be truthful, even if it leads to hurting others’ feelings or their disapproval of them.
- Misunderstandings in relationships – When individuals with autism are in a relationship, misunderstandings about honesty can happen. Neurotypical partners might think that their partner with autism is being too straightforward or too honest, which could lead to arguments. On the other hand, they might get upset if their partner does not tell the “social lies” that are often used to keep the peace in relationships.
- Little to-no emotional expressions – Adults with autism might show emotions or reactions differently from those without autism. This can make their responses, whether they are telling the truth or lying, seem ‘emotionless’ or ‘less convincing’. While people without autism often use emotional signals to judge if someone is being honest, individuals with autism may communicate in ways that others may see as distant, causing confusion.
Autism and Lying in Children
Children with a typical development start to comprehend lying as they become aware of other people’s thoughts and feelings. Children with autism, however, may find it challenging to recognize their own and others’ mental states. This could make lying more difficult for them.
While children with autism could lie, their lies may differ from those often told by neurotypical children. For instance, they may find it challenging to tell “white lies,” which require understanding social cues, or their lies might seem more blunt and less calculated.
Studies show that some children with autism may lie when they feel anxious, emotionally distressed, or overwhelmed, while others might avoid lying because they tend to think more in a literal sense. Parents might notice that their child with autism lies less often or for different reasons than neurotypical children.
Children with autism might be more likely to be extremely honest or blunt as they often find it easier to speak directly rather than lie. Their way of thinking may also make them incline towards telling the truth.
However, sometimes they may lie to cope with anxiety, stress and fear of being caught in an unfamiliar situation. In these situations, their intention behind lying is not to deceive but to avoid discomfort.
Some children with autism may also give wrong information by accident, not because they are lying, but because they misunderstood the situation or forgot some parts about it. It is crucial for parents and educators to understand these differences, keeping in mind the child’s unique way of communicating.
How Autism Affects Honesty
Autism has an impact on many social behaviors, including communication and honesty. For individuals on the autism spectrum, the way they understand and express truth could differ from the ways others do. While honesty might appear to be simple, it becomes more complex for those with autism because of their unique way of thinking, social interaction, and their inclination to tell the truth.
Sometimes the communication styles of individuals with autism may come across as blunt, overly literal, or not fitting social norms, and as a result, they may not get invited to social events or gatherings.
- Honesty as a principle – Some individuals with autism see honesty as an important moral value and may feel uncomfortable or guilty if asked or told to lie in social situations, or even minor things.
- Unintentional bluntness – Their honesty could sometimes appear to be blunt, rude or hurtful because they might not think about others’ feelings and how their words affect them.
- Black-and-white thinking – Many individuals with autism may think in a more fixed, black-and-white way, which could result in an intense focus on being truthful and avoiding lying, as they tend to view things as either right or wrong, with little-to-no room for any gray situations.
- Delayed processing of social lies – People with autism may understand that social lies, like “white lies,” are sometimes expected, but they may take longer than other neurotypical individuals to figure out when and how to use them, which could cause awkward moments or delayed responses.
- Effect of comorbid conditions – Conditions that are often present alongside autism, like ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) or anxiety, could also impact someone’s ability to be honest. For instance, anxiety might make an individual with autism more nervous about deceiving, even in innocuous situations.
- Tendency to disclose private information – Some people with autism may openly share personal information, and not always understand what should be kept private, without realizing it could be inappropriate, awkward or embarrassing in certain social situations.
Lying Behaviors in Autism
Lying is a complicated behavior that could present itself in different ways, especially in individuals with autism. Although those with autism may not always pick up on social cues like others do, they could still lie and engage in deception.
Some physical signs that might suggest an individual with autism is lying or trying to deceive include not making eye contact, fidgeting, having unusual facial expressions, and changing their body language.
- Avoiding eye contact – Individuals with autism might look away or struggle to maintain eye contact as they might feel anxious or overwhelmed when trying to make up a story or tell a lie.
- Changes in body language – Fidgeting, crossing arms, or turning away could indicate that someone is feeling uncomfortable or anxious about whether they are telling the truth.
- Altered facial expressions – Expressions that do not match the conversation or seem uncanny may indicate that an individual with autism is not being truthful.
- Inconsistent vocal tone – A sudden shift in how someone speaks, like changing their tone or speed, could show they are feeling anxious or not being genuine and truthful.
- Nervous habits – Behaviors like nail biting, foot tapping, or fidgeting with objects may be exacerbated when an individual with autism feels the urge to lie or deceive.
- Delayed responses – If someone takes longer than normal to answer basic questions, it might allude to the fact that they are making up an answer and not telling the truth.
Common Misconceptions About Autism and Lying
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is often misunderstood, especially when it comes to social skills and behavior. One common myth is that people with autism are always honest or can’t lie.
This stereotype misrepresents the wide range of abilities among those with autism and ignores the complexities of how people communicate. It’s important to understand these misconceptions to promote empathy and a better understanding of autism.
- Inability to Lie – Many people think that individuals with autism cannot lie. While some might find it challenging to lie because they have trouble comprehending social cues, others are capable of lying.
- Lack of Understanding of Social Norms – People often think that individuals with autism do not understand social rules. However, many of them do comprehend these rules, even if they see them differently, and they sometimes decide to use social tricks (white lies) when it suits them.
- Social Skills Deficit Means No Lying – The idea that social challenges mean someone cannot lie does not consider the reality that social skills are different for each individual with autism. Some may use common social tactics as their other neurotypical friends, including lying.
- Stigmatizing Behavior – Linking autism to dishonesty could further fuel negative stereotypes about autism, making it difficult for people with autism to interact socially without facing bias or discrimination.
- Emotionless Behavior Equals Dishonesty – The belief that individuals with autism do not feel emotions could cause misunderstandings about their ability to lie. Many people on the autism spectrum do feel emotions strongly but show them in their own ways.
- People with Autism Are Unaware of Consequences – The idea that people with autism do not know what can happen when they lie could be misleading. Many of them comprehend the possible problems that could be manifested from being dishonest.
References
- Katarzyna Cantarero, Katarzyna Byrka, Magdalena Król, It’s not really lying. Autism spectrum disorder relates to lower recognition of other-oriented lies through a decrease in perceived intentionality of the liar, Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Volume 86, 2021, 101806, ISSN 1750-9467, doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2021.101806. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1750946721000817)
- Williams, D.M., Nicholson, T., Grainger, C., Lind, S.E. and Carruthers, P. (2018), Can you spot a liar? Deception, mindreading, and the case of autism spectrum disorder. Autism Research, 11: 1129-1137. doi.org/10.1002/aur.1962
- Talwar, V., Zwaigenbaum, L., Goulden, K. J., Manji, S., Loomes, C., & Rasmussen, C. (2012). Lie-Telling Behavior in Children With Autism and Its Relation to False-Belief Understanding. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 27(2), 122-129. doi.org/10.1177/1088357612441828
- Li, A.S., Kelley, E.A., Evans, A.D. et al. Exploring the Ability to Deceive in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 41, 185–195 (2011). doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-1045-4
