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Most people do it every occasionally, tell a white lie to avoid hurting someone's feelings. But in some cases the lie becomes bigger and it becomes a slippery slope.
"People who suffer with low self-esteem feel very insecure, are much more likely to lie to make themselves appear better, to make themselves likeable and to cover up any embarrassing things about themselves," said psychotherapist Meghan Lemery.
According to Lemery, people lie to avoid hurting a person's feelings. The most popular one, "Honey, you don't look fat in those pants." But other people lie for personal gain.
"Adults will often lie to impress each other whether it is about money, about clothes, their job. They have their own insecurities and anxieties and lying is a great way to seem more appealing," said Lemery.
Tips you have a liar on your hands include someone who bombards you with too many details, it's a way to confuse you.
"They avoid eye contact, very defensive, a change in their tone or tier pitch and body language. If they shift around, look down, is avoiding you, it's pretty clear the person is lying or wants to hide something from you," Lemery said.
Lies fracture the foundation of the trust in a relationship, but it can be repaired. The key is remorse.
"Trust takes time to build. If the person that lied to you is truly remorseful and asks for your forgiveness, you can take the time to rebuild. If it occurs over and over and over again, you have to ask yourself, is this the relationship you want to stay in," said Lemery.
For some people, lying becomes second nature and they can't distinguish the lies from the truth.
"If you yourself are struggling in telling lies and it's becoming easy for you to do, then you have to stop and ask yourself what is going on? Awareness is 85 percent of it. If you are aware that you are doing it, there is hope that you can get some help," Lemery said.