A new study suggests that how well you lie as a child is a strong indicator of how successful you’ll be as an adult.
Research conducted by the Institute of Child Study at the University of Toronto indicates the skills needed to tell a convincing lie, such as quick thinking and the ability to use information to your own advantage, demonstrate a highly functioning brain. And the younger children demonstrate these skills, the better developed their brains are.
According to the study, most children fib. As many as 90% of four-year olds bend the truth from time to time. But the real success-indicator is how well a child fibs — and how early the fibbing starts.
Researchers who conducted the study, which involved more than 1000 children from ages two to 16, said parents shouldn’t worry if their children are pint-sized Pinocchios. The study indicates childhood fibbing is a more a mark of intelligence than morality — it isn’t necessarily a sign the child will continue to be deceitful later in life.
“Parents should not be alarmed if their child tells a fib,” Dr. Kang Lee, director of the institute, said. “They may make bankers in later life.”
Right, because skilled liars is exactly what Wall Street needs. (via the Daily Telegraph)