Toddlers who lie 'will do better'

[EpyonXero]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/education/10119297.stm

Toddlers who lie 'will do better'
Page last updated at 10:55 GMT, Monday, 17 May 2010 11:55 UK
E-mail this to a friend Printable version Researchers said most children lied Toddlers who tell lies early on are more likely to do well later, researchers claim.

The complex brain processes involved in formulating a lie are an indicator of a child's early intelligence, they add.

A Canadian study of 1,200 children aged two to 17 suggests those who are able to lie have reached an important developmental stage.

Only a fifth of two-year-olds tested in the study were able to lie.

But at age four, 90% were capable of lying, the study found. The rate increases with age to a peak at age 12.

'Developmental milestone'

The director of the Institute of Child Study at Toronto University, Dr Kang Lee, said: "Parents should not be alarmed if their child tells a fib.

"Their children are not going to turn out to be pathological liars. Almost all children lie.

"It is a sign that they have reached a new developmental milestone.

"Those who have better cognitive development lie because they can cover up their tracks."

This was because they had developed the ability to carry out a complex juggling act which involves keeping the truth at the back of their brains.

He added: "They even make bankers in later life."

Dr Kang tested the children's honesty by telling them not to peek at a toy placed behind their backs while leaving the room.

He then monitored their reactions by video and returned to ask if they had turned around, checking their responses against the recording.

[OneSickPsycho]

"They even make bankers in later life."

Duh.

[Avatard]

How to be successful in corporate America:

Lie, motherfucker.

[Hydrant]

"It's not a lie, if you believe it." George Costanza

[OneSickPsycho]

Originally Posted by Avatard

How to be successful in corporate America:

Lie, motherfucker.

Not true... I'm by no means at the top, but I've seen enough careers get ruined because of small lies that snowball to know that honesty IS the best policy.

[Avatard]

Originally Posted by OneSickPsycho

Not true... I'm by no means at the top, but I've seen enough careers get ruined because of small lies that snowball to know that honesty IS the best policy.

Those people weren't good liars, then.

Only the really good one rise to the top.