The British Journal of Psychiatry this month publishes a report of a study from the University of Southern California that researches and comes up with findings on compulsive deception, exhibited by large groups of people, whom we generally refer to as Pathological Liars.
An identifiable physical cause has been identified in the brain. Apparently, pathological liars have much more white matter (which SPEEDS communication between neurons) in the prefrontal cortex, than normal people, and have FEWER actual neurons.
This part of the brain, located just behind the forehead, is the part where people learn moral behavior, plan complex strategies, and feel remorse.
Researchers pointed out that lying is hard work and these types of brains may be better equipped to handle it.
Adrian Raine, the senior scientist on the research project, says “To our knowledge, it is the first imaging study on people who lie, cheat and deceive as a group”.
Which explains why some such people become very successful lawyers. And it is somewhat frightening to note that under the American system, a career on the bench is limited to lawyers only.