Types of Lies Questionnaire Test

In nine minutes, the Types of Lies Questionnaire Test guides you through 48 questions about everyday deception, including exaggeration, omission, politeness, gossip, and protective motives. Your profile highlights how you respond to different forms of lying, supporting thoughtful self-reflection about communication habits and social choices.

Questions: 489 minutes

Types of Lies Questionnaire Test: sample question card

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025Material has been updatedOctober 2, 2025Material has been published

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Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

Motives for LyingMfL

Measures how many different motives a person attributes to themselves for distorting information through lying.

example score2/12

2/12Few motivesexample score

0 – 3Few motives

4 – 8Several motives

9 – 12Many motives

A score of 2 falls in the 'Few motives' range, suggesting the person reports using lies for a limited number of reasons.

Self-Presentation LieSPL

Measures how acceptable or tolerable you find others embellishing their image through deceptive self-presentation, especially with less familiar people.

example score5/12

5/12Moderate acceptanceexample score

0 – 4Low acceptance

5 – 8Moderate acceptance

9 – 12High acceptance

A score of 5 suggests a moderate acceptance of others using image-enhancing exaggerations, indicating you may see it as sometimes understandable but not always appropriate.

GossipG

Measures how acceptable or tolerable you find gossip, meaning the sharing of unverified or potentially false information about other people in everyday conversations.

example score7/12

7/12Moderate toleranceexample score

0 – 4Low tolerance

5 – 8Moderate tolerance

9 – 12High tolerance

A score of 7 falls in the Moderate tolerance range, suggesting you may view gossip as sometimes acceptable or understandable, though not necessarily desirable.

OmissionO

Measures how negatively you perceive omissions (withholding part of the truth) when others communicate with you.

example score4/12

4/12More tolerantexample score

0 – 4More tolerant

5 – 8Mixed/conditional

9 – 12Less tolerant

A score of 4 suggests you are relatively tolerant of omissions, tending to see withholding information as less problematic in many situations.

Justifying LieJL

Measures how acceptable and understandable you find excuse-based lies used to justify or soften the consequences of questionable actions.

example score3/12

3/12Low acceptanceexample score

0 – 4Low acceptance

5 – 8Moderate acceptance

9 – 12High acceptance

A score of 3 indicates low acceptance of excuse lies, suggesting you tend to view self-justifying explanations as relatively unacceptable or unconvincing.

Fantasy LieFL

Measures how acceptable you find harmless “fantasy” lies used to create a more interesting self-image in everyday communication.

example score6/12

6/12Moderate toleranceexample score

0 – 3Low tolerance

4 – 8Moderate tolerance

9 – 12High tolerance

A score of 6 indicates moderate tolerance for fantasy lies, suggesting you may view occasional harmless embellishment as acceptable but still notice and evaluate it.

Benevolent LieBL

Measures how acceptable you find “white lies” that withhold important information to protect someone from harm.

example score8/12

8/12Moderate acceptanceexample score

0 – 4Low acceptance

5 – 8Moderate acceptance

9 – 12High acceptance

A score of 8 indicates moderately high acceptance of lies told for someone’s benefit, suggesting you may see them as sometimes justified depending on the situation.

Politeness LiePL

Measures how accepting a person is of etiquette-based “polite lies” used to maintain social harmony.

example score10/12

10/12High acceptanceexample score

0 – 4Low acceptance

5 – 8Moderate acceptance

9 – 12High acceptance

A score of 10 indicates high acceptance of polite lies, suggesting they are generally seen as a normal and mostly harmless part of everyday politeness.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Trust-Hurt Relationship Seekers

41%OF USERS

People dealing with suspicion, jealousy, or past betrayals who want to clarify which kinds of lies feel tolerable versus relationship-breaking.

Psychology Clients and Students

34%OF USERS

Those in therapy or studying psychology who want a structured profile of their attitudes toward different forms of everyday dishonesty.

Workplace Communication Navigators

25%OF USERS

Professionals in team settings who want to understand their reactions to office omissions, polite lies, gossip, and self-presentation tactics.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

Motives for LyingMfL

You?

Average4.1

Typical rangeTypical1.8 – 6.3

Possible0 – 12

Deceptive Self-PresentationDS

You?

Average4.8

Typical rangeTypical3.1 – 6.4

Possible0 – 12

GossipG

You?

Average8.1

Typical rangeTypical6.6 – 9.5

Possible0 – 12

DefaultD

You?

Average6.1

Typical rangeTypical4 – 8.2

Possible0 – 12

Lie-justificationL

You?

Average6.9

Typical rangeTypical5.1 – 8.7

Possible0 – 12

Lie-FantasyL

You?

Average4

Typical rangeTypical2 – 6.1

Possible0 – 12

Lies for a Greater GoodLfaGG

You?

Average4.3

Typical rangeTypical2.7 – 5.8

Possible0 – 12

Polite LiesPL

You?

Average4.7

Typical rangeTypical2.6 – 6.8

Possible0 – 12

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

In everyday life, people often distort information about themselves. There is no one who tells only the truth. You are asked to rate the extent to which your behavior corresponds to the following statements.

- Very characteristic of me
- Characteristic of me
- Not at all characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
- Characteristic of me
- Not at all characteristic of me
- Very typical of me
- Typical of me
- Not at all typical of me

These are 3 of the 48 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Types of Lies Questionnaire Test - Description and methodology of the test

dishonesty

People reflecting on honesty, social boundaries, or difficult conversations may use this assessment to examine how they judge and practise everyday deception. The Types of Lies Questionnaire Test gives readers a structured profile of motives, situations, and forms of lying rather than a single overall label. A questionnaire about lying can help organize self-reflection about communication choices and perceived social consequences.

What the Questionnaire Measures

The types of lies questionnaire covers eight dimensions:

Fantasy Lie (0-12) is harmless self-invention: Low tolerance 0-3, Moderate tolerance 4-8, High tolerance 9-12; Justifying Lie (0-12) covers defensive excuses: Low acceptance 0-4, Moderate acceptance 5-8, High acceptance 9-12.
Motives for Lying (0-12) counts personal reasons: Few motives 0-3, Several motives 4-8, Many motives 9-12; Self-Presentation Lie (0-12) shows embellishment: Low acceptance 0-4, Moderate acceptance 5-8, High acceptance 9-12.
Gossip (0-12) covers unverified reports: Low tolerance 0-4, Moderate tolerance 5-8, High tolerance 9-12; Omission (0-12) covers withheld truth: More tolerant 0-4, Mixed/conditional 5-8, Less tolerant 9-12.
Benevolent Lie (0-12) protects others: Low acceptance 0-4, Moderate acceptance 5-8, High acceptance 9-12; Politeness Lie (0-12) covers polite deception: Low acceptance 0-4, Moderate acceptance 5-8, High acceptance 9-12.

Methodology and Evidence Base

Each item presents a short everyday situation or belief and offers three ordered responses, generally moving from very characteristic or typical to not at all characteristic. As a lying behavior questionnaire, it groups answers into separate scores rather than one total. The result display gives ranges and bands, but not a point-by-point weighting formula, so ranges alone do not show how each response contributes.

The closest named source is the Types of Lies Questionnaire (Shkuratova, 2007), which addresses attitudes toward one’s own and other people’s lies. Shkuratova (2009) is relevant to self-presentation in communication; Buta et al. (2020) adds comparative context on attitudes toward different lies; Ekman (2009) supplies broader context on deceptive communication. This online version is conceptually consistent with those works, not presented as their adaptation or validation.

Interpret the profile by comparing its pattern, remembering that higher values may indicate greater tolerance, acceptance, or multiple motives depending on the dimension. Self-report answers can shift with current relationships, memory, self-awareness, and impression management, and this version has no stated norms or reliability estimates.

Author: Paul Ekman

Literature:

Shkuratova, I. P., & Krikalo, E. L. (2007). The Attitude of Students to Different Types of Their Own and Other People's Lies. In Individual Differences in Cognition and Communication (pp. 266-284). Rostov-on-Don: Antey.
Shkuratova, I. P. (2009). Self-Presentation of Personality in Communication. Rostov-on-Don: Southern Federal University Press.
Buta, M., Visu-Petra, G., Koller, S. H., & Visu-Petra, L. (2020). A Little Lie Never Hurt Anyone: Attitudes toward Various Types of Lies over the Lifespan. Psychology in Russia: State of the Art, 13(1), 70-81. 10.11621/pir.2020.0107.
Ekman, P. (2009). Telling Lies: Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage. Revised ed. New York: W. W. Norton.

Updated: 2025-10-02