Pinocchio syndrome

Pinocchio syndrome

Pinocchio syndrome is known in psychiatry with the name "pathological liar" or also with the name "mythomania." Some researchers of the human mind, indicate that this pathology is characterized by the irremediable compulsion that some people suffer to lie.

When in adulthood we observe people who surround their lives with lies and deceptions to justify actions or to adjust their self-esteem defects, then we face a serious problem.

For the mythomaniac, lies are part of normalcy.

Not all liars suffer from Pinocchio syndrome

Not all people who lie suffer from this syndrome. Some consciously lie to get a benefit, but the pathological liar does not lie with an intention. His lies are spontaneous and unplanned, and once entered into this dynamic of farce and deception can not stop.

Who suffers from Pinocchio syndrome maintains many times for years the lies he tells. But it is important to emphasize that the pathological liar knows that he is lying, but cannot avoid it. It is not something he can decide. It is an unconscious, pathological act, something that escapes from your hands.

However, to such an extent this situation is serious that the person suffering from Pinocchio syndrome ends up believing their own lies. There comes a time when he cannot discern what is reality and what is the product of his lies.

The person suffering from Pinocchio syndrome does not do so intentionally, even though he is aware that he is lying.

The main signs that characterize a mythomaniac

How can we identify a mythomaniac? It can be difficult to differentiate between someone who lies sporadically and with total will to not be able to do so, from someone suffering from this pathology. However, we have some signs that if we open our eyes well they can be of great help.

1. The stories he tells are not delusions

When a person lies a story is invented. Nothing that counts is being true, but is totally misrepresented with one purpose: to cause wonder or to appear before others as a victim.

However, who suffers from Pinocchio syndrome when he lies not everything he is telling is uncertain, but there are many parts of the truth.

2. Lies go on in time

If you have ever lied you will recognize that this is done at a certain time. It is not something that is done in any circumstance without having reasons for it. Lies have a purpose, as we mentioned before, if there is no purpose there is no need to lie.

Instead, the mythomaniac person lies uncontrollably regardless of context, environment or if the person he is lying to is a relative or someone unknown. It does not discriminate. The lie is taken as normal.

3. He believes his own lies

The person suffering from Pinocchio syndrome, unlike the ordinary liar, believes that everything that counts is true. That is, he is not able to discern between what are fantasies of his mind of what is not. This is very important, as it causes several conflicts in your relationships with others.

The stories and lies usually describe the liar in a positive and favorable way, the same does not happen with those who suffer from Pinocchio syndrome.

Mythomania is not harmless. It has side effects at different levels. In the social sphere, the mythomaniac usually loses credibility and is labeled as the "storyteller." On a family level, he is defined as a person who is not recommended and of little confidence. And at the level of contacts and friends, they tend to distance themselves or the person ends up away from the group.

The only treatment for people with this syndrome is psychotherapy, although, at present, there is no research on this area that can guarantee the definitive cure of the patient. It is a pathology that should always be under supervision and that it can have improvements, although there is no evidence that it can be completely eliminated.

Pinocchio syndrome and thermography

A team of scientists from the University of Granada, headed by Dr. Emilio Gómez Milan, designed an experiment to find out if a person lies or tells the truth. In this experiment, they used a thermal imager to record the face temperature of the experimental subjects. They concluded that when someone lies, the temperature of the nose falls and that of the forehead rises.

Emilio Gómez points out that these two facial points are the keys to measuring what they called "Pinocchio Effect." Gomez says: “When we lie, the temperature of the tip of the nose drops between 0.6 and 1.2 ° C, while that of the forehead rises between 0.6 and 1.5 ° C. The greater the difference in temperature change between both regions of the face, the more likely that person is lying. ”

But why this change in temperature? Emilio Gómez gives us the answer: "to lie we have to think, and that is why the temperature of the forehead increases, but we also get nervous, something that causes a decrease in the temperature of the nose."