when people are 'lying' to me they probably believe what they're saying. One one level yes, this is true. More than true, it's wise. The problem is that we c

when people are 'lying' to me they probably believe what they're saying. One one level yes, this is true. More than true, it's wise. The problem is that we can deceive ourselves into holding self-serving beliefs... sincerely. Upton Sinclair said it best: "It is very hard to make a man understand something, when his job depends on his not understanding it." And such people aren't lying or dissembling. It's just much cheaper, in terms of mental effort, to develop beliefs that the world is the way you would like it to be.