Deception starts early. One researcher says that children learn to lie around 3 years old, “often when they realize that other people don’t know what they are thinking.” Not surprisingly lying comes naturally to youngsters. According to Seth Borenstein of The Associated Press, it takes more energy to lie than to tell the truth. He writes:
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump routinely calls rival Ted Cruz “Lyin’ Ted.” Cruz retorts: “Falsely accusing someone of lying is itself a lie and something Donald does daily.”
News organizations such as The Associated Press and PolitiFact dedicate enormous resources to separating candidates’ truthful wheat from their dishonest chaff.