(U-WIRE)-Ever wonder why some people are just so much better at lying? A new University of Southern California study suggests that the brains of some people are simply more wired for deception.
In the first study of its kind, researchers have found that there are structural abnormalities in the brains of people who habitually lie, cheat and manipulate others.
Pathological liars have more white matter and less gray matter in the prefrontal cortex of their brains. White matter speeds neural connectivity between brain cells, enabling quick and complex thinking, while gray matter-the brain cells that are connected by white matter-plays a role in mediating inhibitions.
The results showed that liars had a 22 percent increase in prefrontal white matter and a 14.2 percent decrease in gray matter compared to the control group. What these findings essentially suggest is that liars have a better-adapted brain for, well, lying.