The Psychology of Lying: What Netflix's Adolescence Gets Right—and What It Doesn’t

By Marley Wheeler and Dr. John Lee

Lying is a universal part of the human experience. Whether it's a small white lie to protect someone's feelings or a deeper, more consequential deception, everyone engages in it to some extent. But what drives us to lie? How does it evolve? And what happens in our brains when we do it?

These questions aren't just the domain of psychologists—they're at the heart of Netflix's new hit series Adolescence, a gripping drama that explores the aftermath of a murder and the pursuit of the truth. The show doesn't just offer a single lie—it peels back the layers of deceit to reveal how fragile and fluid our grasp on “truth” can be.

At its core, Adolescence centers around a fundamental deception: a murder covered up by teenagers. But what makes the show so psychologically rich is how that single lie fractures into dozens more—told to friends, family, police, and even to themselves. Each character clings to a version of the truth that protects them emotionally or socially. The result? A compelling portrait of how subjective, situational, and strategic lying really is.

Why Do People Lie?

We often think of lying as a moral failure—but research tells us it's more complicated. McArthur et al. (2023) identified a number of motivations behind deception, many of which are vividly played out in Adolescence:

1. To Avoid Punishment

The initial lie—the murder cover-up—is a desperate attempt to avoid life-altering consequences. This is a classic form of self-protection, one that begins in childhood and can escalate under pressure.

2. To Protect Others

Throughout the series, lies are told not just out of self-interest but to shield loved ones. Friends cover for each other. Families keep secrets. These “protective lies” feel noble on the surface, but they often cause more damage in the long run.

3. To Gain or Maintain Control

Power dynamics are central in Adolescence. Certain characters lie strategically, using partial truths and withheld information to manipulate relationships, redirect suspicion, and hold influence.

4. To Preserve a Coherent Self-Image

One of the most psychologically rich themes in the show is self-deception. Characters redefine events, rationalize actions, and create internal narratives to avoid guilt or shame. They convince themselves they’re still good people—even as their choices say otherwise.

What Happens in the Brain When We Lie?

Lying isn’t just about words—it’s a neurological process that activates several brain regions:

• Prefrontal Cortex: Manages decision-making and suppresses the truth.

• Temporal Lobe: Pulls from memory and imagination to construct plausible narratives.

• Amygdala: Triggers fear or guilt—especially early on.

Illustration of the brain, highlighting the areas responsible for lying.

But here’s the catch: the more we lie, the easier it gets. Research from UCL (2016) shows that repeated lying dulls the amygdala’s response, making dishonesty feel more comfortable over time. In Adolescence, we watch this desensitization play out. Early lies are emotional and clumsy—but by the end, deception becomes second nature.

Truth, Subjectivity, and the Slippery Nature of Memory

One of Adolescence’s most compelling insights is that truth isn’t fixed. Each character clings to their own version of events, shaped by memory, trauma, guilt, and fear. As viewers, we’re forced to question what we’re being shown—and who we can believe.

This narrative technique reflects a psychological truth: memory is not a perfect record. It’s malleable, emotional, and influenced by what we need to believe to survive. Often, people don’t even know they’re lying—they’re just holding onto a version of reality that helps them cope.

In that sense, Adolescence doesn’t just ask “Who’s lying?”—it asks “What does this lie protect?”

Can You Really Tell When Someone Is Lying?

Many popular sources—like body language expert Vanessa Van Edwards—have tried to teach us how to “spot a liar” by looking for telltale signs. According to her research, these may include:

• Body Language Inconsistencies (like crossed arms or shifting posture)

• Vocal Cues (a higher pitch, faster talking, or longer pauses)

• Question Inflection (ending statements with a rising tone, like a question)

• Micro-expressions (fleeting facial expressions that contradict spoken words)

While these cues can be useful, Adolescence reminds us just how unreliable they can be. Many of the characters appear calm and composed while lying—and visibly anxious when telling the truth. That’s because deception is never one-size-fits-all. Nervousness might signal dishonesty—or it might just mean the person is scared, overwhelmed, or emotionally raw.

The Clinical Side: What the Show Gets Right—and Where It Dramatizes

Even with sophisticated tools, detecting deception is incredibly difficult—both in real life and clinical practice. A meta-analysis by Bond & DePaulo (2006) showed that lie detection accuracy is only 54% on average—barely better than chance.

That’s why psychologists are trained to be cautious, always aware of two major risks:

- Type I Error (False Positive):

Falsely assuming someone is lying when they're actually being honest. This can lead to misdiagnosis, breakdowns in trust, and serious consequences in forensic settings.

- Type II Error (False Negative):

Failing to detect deception when it is present. This can result in inappropriate treatment, safety concerns, or wrongful decision-making in legal contexts.

In Episode 3 of Adolescence, we are witness to the final evaluation session between Jamie and Briony (a child psychologist retained by Jamie’s lawyer, performing an independent assessment). By that point, we learn that Briony has already completed standardized testing and standardized clinical interviews across several prior sessions. The final visit we see is less about diagnosis and more about interpretation—a moment where the psychologist, drawing on data and behavioural patterns, tries to connect the dots and get to a semblance of what the truth is.

What Adolescence dramatizes (for effect) is the weight placed on the final session. In reality, no psychologist would rely solely on a single face-to-face interaction to determine truthfulness or deception. Clinicians also tend to avoid accusatory or confrontational approaches. Instead, they carefully analyze data, look for inconsistencies, and consider the psychological function of deception—whether it’s self-preservation, trauma avoidance, or manipulation.

Some of the essential components of a thorough clinical assessment include:

• Consent and clarifying the relationship - emphasizing that the assessment is independent and there is no therapeutic relationship

• Standardized measures to assess symptoms, knowledge of right and wrong, and response consistency

• Validity scales embedded in personality tests or stand alone validity measures to detect exaggeration or feigned impairment

• Behavioural observations across multiple sessions to establish patterns

• Collateral sources like teacher reports or family interviews

  
  

All of the above factors must be taken into account, and often, psychologists will make statements that are couched with the limits of certainty. Phrases like “On the balance of probabilities” can be common in these types of reports.  While certain methods and tests can determine if a client is not being fully honest, it remains difficult to fully ascertain the underlying reasons for such behaviour. 

It must be noted that it is understandable why a show would exclude certain aspects of a psychological assessment. Disclosure of these methods could be detrimental to the integrity of psychological assessments, and it makes sense that they would have excluded some of these aspects, particularly those involving validity testing.  

Final Thoughts

Adolescence isn’t just about a crime—it’s about the lies we tell to survive. It shows us how quickly one secret can snowball, how truth can blur, and how we often lie not to hurt others—but to protect something fragile within ourselves.

Lying, as the show reveals, is rarely straightforward. It can be altruistic or selfish, conscious or unconscious. It can come from fear, love, shame, or pride. And it often says more about what we’re afraid to feel than what we’re trying to hide.

In both the therapy room and real life, deception isn’t about catching people in the act. It’s about understanding what’s underneath—the motives, the emotions, the needs.

And sometimes, the hardest truth to face is the one we’ve convinced ourselves is real.

References

Bond, C. F., & DePaulo, B. M. (2006). Accuracy of deception judgments. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10(3), 214–234. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327957pspr1003_2

Comaford, C. (2020). Why we lie, and the neuroscience behind it. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinecomaford/2020/10/17/why-we-lie-and-the-neuroscience-behind-it/

Hunsley, J., & Lee, C. (2017). Introduction to Clinical Psychology (4th ed.). Wiley. Retrieved from https://www.perlego.com/book/3866055/introduction-to-clinical-psychology-pdf

Karim, A. A., Schneider, M., Lotze, M., Veit, R., Sauseng, P., Braun, C., & Birbaumer, N. (2010). The truth about lying: inhibition of the anterior prefrontal cortex improves deceptive behavior. Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991), 20(1), 205–213. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhp090

McArthur, J., Forsyth, L., Hodson, G., Holden, C. J., Lee, K., McLeod, B. A., Paul, A. A., Paulhus, D. L., Ashton, M. C., Bourdage, J. S., & Davis, D. (2023). Examining the acceptability and likelihood of self-centered and other-centered lying using the Hexaco. Personality and Individual Differences. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019188692300449X?via%3Dihub

Ucl. (2016). How lying takes our brains down a “slippery slope.” UCL News. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2016/oct/how-lying-takes-our-brains-down-slippery-slope#:~:text=%22When%20we%20lie%20for%20personal,the%20bigger%20our%20lies%20become

Yates, G. P., & Feldman, M. D. (2016b). Factitious disorder: A systematic review of 455 cases in the professional literature. General Hospital Psychiatry, 41, 20–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2016.05.002