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Study shows deceit in animals and humans can be similar Shutterstock

Do you like to tell a fib? Don't worry, it's part of evolution

Trinity College scientists have found that humans’ ability to lie to each other may have evolved because of our cooperative nature.

THE HUMAN ABILITY to lie to each other has been found to be something that is evolutionary. Researchers from Trinity College Dublin and the University of Edinburgh have shown that the ability to deceive others evolved as a means to extract help from others.

The study shows that lying and deceit by humans is owed to our “cooperative nature”.

Deception

The researchers used evolutionary game theory to examine the scenarios in which the ability to deceive others would evolve. They looked at deception and cooperation in a variety of primates from lemurs to chimpanzees. Deception occurs most often in the primate species. They are also the most cooperative, which suggests that our ability to deceive others evolved as a result of our similar cooperative nature.

Their model showed that the ability to deceive others was subject to cooperation being shown by others.

“Master deceivers” can manipulate their reputation through trickery and by gaining help from others without having to cooperate themselves.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Assistant Professor Andrew Jackson said that while he has a background studying organised social behaviour in animals, his research partner, Luke McNally studies human evolution. “The systems are actually quite similar,” he said, adding:

Our research shows that it pays to cooperate, it makes for a better society for people or animals to cooperate with one another. But while everyone else is cooperating, there comes scope to deceive those who are going along with things. If everyone began to be deceitful and if there were more cheaters, it would not be a good scenario.

He added that the research “strikes a chord with people” because people are interested in the human condition. He said:

I think we have all cheated in life, one way or another, or been cheated on. People are interested to learn how and why we interact with one another. This research looks at why people co-operate when others cheat on each other. We found that when we, as people,  decided to co-operate, things got better, but then deceitful behaviour within others came out – but ultimately society breaks down when there are too many deceitful people.

The study has been published in the online journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

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17 Comments
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    Mute Shane King
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    May 16th 2013, 7:38 PM

    Sure even bishops and priests tell lies.

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    Mute Paul
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    May 16th 2013, 7:50 PM

    I’m lying now.

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    Mute Story Teller
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    May 16th 2013, 7:53 PM

    @Shane
    You mean a Cardinal Sin ,,, lol

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    Mute bob®
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    May 16th 2013, 7:54 PM

    The Cheque is in the post.your Bum does not look big in that.we found this fabulous little restaurant on the first night.I’ll ring you right back.let’s swap addresses, it was so great meeting like minded people.I’m not voting for them next time……

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    Mute Paul Madigan
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    May 16th 2013, 7:50 PM

    If that’s the case all tds are helping evolution at lightning speed

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    Mute Master Mc Man
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    May 16th 2013, 8:23 PM

    Ur boring – quit boring everybody

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    Mute Paul Madigan
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    May 16th 2013, 8:26 PM

    Who is

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    Mute Paul Madigan
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    May 17th 2013, 12:14 PM

    And your a fcuking tool

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    Mute Logs burn
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    May 16th 2013, 7:50 PM

    Of course I don’t,as I send this from my private jet,you all look real small down there.

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    Mute gingerman
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    May 16th 2013, 8:06 PM

    This is not new research. Any basic textbook on evolutionary psychology covers this well worn knowledge. Eh what’s new????

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    Mute Wobble
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    May 16th 2013, 8:52 PM

    Agreed. I’ve read about this exact mechanism many times before. Dawkins discusses it at length. I suspect they ran a bunch of experiments to establish an exact model and it saben picked up as new research.

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    Mute Mags O' Leary
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    May 16th 2013, 10:51 PM

    I remember my parents telling me “Stick out your tongue so I can check you are not telling a lie”. The story behind it was that a black mark appeared on your tongue if you we’re being ‘economical with the truth’!!!!!!!!!!!

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    Mute Lucy
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    May 16th 2013, 11:53 PM

    I think we all experienced that followed by the drawer flying open and the wooden spoon appearing

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    Mute Jack Bowden
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    May 16th 2013, 8:17 PM

    I never lie. :-)

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    Mute Jack Bowden
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    May 16th 2013, 11:19 PM

    Ok that was a lie. :-)

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    Mute William Delaney
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    May 16th 2013, 9:06 PM

    My monkeys want to visit the zoo….

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    Mute Lucy
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    May 16th 2013, 11:54 PM

    My zoo want to visit the monkeys

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