Compulsive liars.

Oh yes! Have encountered a few! One was a lovely man, worked in the medical profession so not stupid by any means. HIS lies were whoppers but silly rather than dangerous. The thing is everyone knew he was lying but didn’t challenge him as they found if they looked interested he would get more and more outrageous! It was a shame really because everyone just laughed behind his back!

Examples were he had his own plane in his garden. He taught pilots in his spare time. He had a pet tiger until it got too big but then was able to visit in its cage at local zoo and take it out for a walk, when the zoo was empty. ??. He also had trials at a certain football club but decided the manager didn’t deserve him so declined to play for them! Know for fact it was all in his head so not quite sure why some people are compulsive fibbers.

These sound like attention-seeking lies/tall stories rather than malicious lies.

Walter Mitty syndrome.

I think we have all come across one at some time or another.

I don’t get blatant lies. I mean why would you? I once had to sit for an excruciatingly long hour squirming with embarrassment while my sister in law told our American cousins how she met and kept in touch with princess Diana. Thankfully princess Diana was alive at the time. Although saying that she tells such whoppers I wouldn’t put it past her to tell same said cousins that she still has an intimate friendship with her. I mean my sister in law must have at least known that we knew it was a downright lie. What’s more her lies have got her into so much trouble over the years you’d think she’d have learnt to stop. The outcome of all these lies is that we doubt anything she says and often don’t respond when she’s ill or needs help because she’s ‘cried wolf’ so often. In every other way she’s a really lovely person, kind and caring. I know we should have challenged her lies but they were so excruciatingly embarrassing to us all that we just couldn’t.

We used to have a guy work for us who told the most whopping fibs . Not malicious just ridiculous . He used to “hold court” around the big bait table and the lads would gather round for the next instalment in his fantasy world. He once asked if anyone had saved a life . Everyone shook their heads so he proceeded to tell the most amazing story about when he was walking along a cliff edge and saw someone drowning in the sea below. Without thinking he dove off the cliff and dragged the man to safety . What he didn’t realise was that everyone was laughing at him when they asked questions.

Q Hey D how far out at sea was the guy you saved?
A oh about a mile
Q blimey a mile . You must be a good swimmer mate . Fully clothed too eh?
A Oh well I had flippers which helped
Q bloody hell D you just happened to be walking on the cliffs carrying flippers
A oh yes I was on my way to diving club
Q how did you manage to get the on then mate ?
A oh I put them on mid dive it was a very high cliff.

This could go on for the entire break time . The lads were winding him up something rotten and he couldn’t see it !

There are a few about , living in that fantasy world they have created for themselves.
But you give them a direct positive answer, they back off , but continue to live in there own bubble .
Some of is done to try and impress , but when found out they back off.
Mick

People do this on many levels ,I have friends who moved abroad who changed their whole history .When I met a mutual friend who hadn't known them before their move I was astounded at the life they said they had lived .This hasn't just been one friend either ,I have one who tells he was principle of a college and another who says he was SAS

.Its a way of making their past more interesting/important .Sad really,you should never be so ashamed of where you came from you need to rewrite it.

Once worked with a liar. Different stories about husbands jobs and her hero father all fairly unbelievable. However the best one was when she said that she was going to be interviewed for a job as practice manager at my husband's vet practice- he knew nothing about this! She knew I was married to him, why would you do that? We found it quite funny. However she didn't do the job properly and I used to get the flack when patients at the doctor's where I worked would come in and I would find that she hadn't processed their prescriptions. I think she was asked to leave

gilly, such a good story, in my head I can hear the story being related in the local accent too ?

I think those who have to "embellish" their lives are quite sad. Usually the lies are harmless so if it makes them feel better about themselves I let them think I believe them.