Exaggeration: Lying or Not?

About This Week’s Chat

“Magnifying a matter is not the way to mend it.”
Ivy Compton-Burnett, English novelist

Tall Tales and Outlandish Claims: Living in a World of Exaggerations

I grew up around a community of anglers – family members and friends who like to fish. If you’ve spent time with anglers, then you’ve likely heard a “fish tale” – an outlandish story about the size or number of fish caught.

There’s even a way that some anglers hold a fish when being photographed, arms extended fully in front of them, to exaggerate the size of the fish in the photo.

In many ways, our world is organized around fish tales. We talk and read about “the best,” “the greatest,” “the most,” and “the first.” Not to mention all the top 10 to top 100 lists out there claiming to rank everything from vacation destinations to pizza from worst to best.

It’s not unusual to hear someone exclaim, this is “the greatest meal I’ve ever eaten,” or “the greatest movie I’ve ever seen,” until the next greatest meal or movie comes along, sometimes as soon as the next week!

Please Join Us!

What: #MTtalk

Where: Twitter

When: June 3 @ 1 p.m. ET (5 p.m. GMT / 10:30 p.m. IST)

Topic: Exaggeration: Lying or Not?

Host: @Mind_Tools

These exaggerations can be relatively harmless. Fish tales and claims of the greatest pizza fall into the category of hyperbole. Hyperbole is defined as exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally. The key there is “not meant to be taken literally.”

Hyperbole may embellish and even entertain, but it’s relatively benign. It’s when exaggeration seeks to persuade or influence that it may cause harm.

If I exaggerate my experience, I may land a job or assignment for which I’m not suited. If I exaggerate the impact of a project or service, I may disappoint my customer and ultimately risk success. And if my exaggerations are believed, I’m taking others down a disingenuous path.

What’s more, if my exaggerations are recognized as such, I quickly build a reputation as someone whose claims cannot be trusted.

So how do I deal with a world filled with exaggerations, or with the exaggerators in my world?

Critical thinking can be a counter to exaggeration. When confronted with an exaggeration or assumption, critical thinkers analyze all available facts, evidence and observations. They approach claims with rational, unbiased skepticism. They ask questions to learn more. And often that simple practice of asking questions is enough to disarm the exaggeration.

The Dangers of Lying

In order to survive, exaggerations need to be taken at face value. Critical thinking takes nothing at face value. But critical thinking also takes time and effort. Often, I may become too seduced by the exaggeration – from the latest top 10 lists to a claim about a projected project outcome – to put my critical-thinking gears in motion.

As Richard Paul, founder of the Foundation of Critical Thinking, wrote: ”Critical thinking is thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking in order to make your thinking better.”

Sound exhausting? Not really, but it takes practice. Critical thinking is more of a mindset adjustment, and much less exhausting than becoming derailed or distracted by the next exaggeration we encounter.

Critical thinking is also an ongoing endeavor – a practice to be grown and honed throughout your life. And it’s a great antidote to a world sometimes infected with exaggeration.

In our upcoming #MTtalk Twitter chat we’ll be exploring the phenomenon of exaggeration – and asking if it’s okay to use it. Come and join this safe discussion space!

In our Twitter poll this week, we wanted to know how you perceive exaggeration. To see all the options and results, please click here.

We’d love you to participate in the chat, and the following questions may spark some thoughts in preparation for it:

How can you tell that someone is exaggerating?
How do you react to exaggeration?
Is exaggeration the same as lying? Why/why not?
Is exaggeration spontaneous and/or learned behavior?
How would you challenge someone who often exaggerates?
How might you help a colleague to see the damage that their exaggeration causes?

Exaggeration or Lying: Resources

To help you prepare for the chat, we’ve compiled a list of resources for you to browse. (Note that you will need to be a Mind Tools Club or Corporate member to see all of the resources in full.)

Developing “Character”

Gaining the Trust of Your New Team

Dealing With Conflicts of Interest

How to Be Tactful

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