Half of the world is out here pretending to be smarter than they actually are, and the other half is politely nodding along. People will say ANYTHING to appear smart – even if it’s a half-cooked fact they heard once at 2 a.m. on YouTube.
There’s always that person who drops “big brain” knowledge like confetti to avoid answering questions that would reveal how little they know. They’d happily pretend they “read the research” (they didn’t) or fake nerdy niche expertise no one asked for. It’s all just part of the show. So here are some everyday lies people love to tell just to look smart. And yes, you’ve probably said a few yourself.
“I Actually Prefer Reading Non-Fiction.”
This is probably the most common statement that serves as a “flex” towards others. Many people claim to spend their evenings reading about psychology, sociology, finance, and various things in science; however, if you were to ask them what they read last week, and suddenly it’s “uhh… a summary on TikTok?”
Most people are not reading deep, world-changing books. Rather, they skim chapter one of the book and then pretend they finished the whole book. This is the ultimate lie to appear knowledgeable, educated, and superior to others who read fiction. Spoiler: they aren’t.
“I Don’t Care About Social Media.”
They say this while actually scrolling through social media. Many people love to share this statement as it makes them sound mentally stronger, wiser, or “above the noise,” but in reality, if they really did not care about social media, they wouldn’t post that they were taking a break, check how many people viewed their story, or remove old posts that didn’t get enough likes.
The truth of the matter is not whether or not you care about social media; it is the embarrassment of pretending that you don’t, because it’s a lie that everybody knows is a lie.
“I Don’t Get Influenced by Trends.”
Everyone is influenced by trends; EVERYONE. However, it would be socially ordinary for people to admit this; therefore, most people lie about it because admitting to being influenced makes them look basic.
In fact, the vast majority of people are wearing the same viral shoes as everyone else, following the same skincare regimen as everyone else, and quoting the same TikTok audio as the rest of us, yet they will not admit it because it would take away from the illusion of being “built different.”
“Yep, I’ve Heard of That Study.”
No, they have not. Perhaps, they heard the title of the study once, and now they’re building a whole personality around it. And if you actually ask something about that so-called ‘Study,’ watch how quickly the conversation dies. They can’t even answer what the study was actually about.
People just love throwing the word “study” around because it sounds higher authority because of the term’s official nature, even though the source of the information is a fuzzy image from Instagram.
“I Don’t Care What Other People Think Of Me.”
If someone has to SAY that they do not care about other people’s opinions, they absolutely care! A lot. People actually love claiming that they are totally unaffected by other people’s opinions – right after carefully choosing their outfit in the morning, reading over their text messages multiple times before hitting send, and overthinking their previous ten years of interactions with others in 20 different ways.
Everyone cares, even if it’s a little. But they do care. This deception just creates an image of a person who is hard and guarded. However, in most cases, it is the total opposite.
“I Was Just Listening to a Podcast About This.”
Translation: I watched a 6-second reel of someone lip-syncing something said in a podcast I have never heard a single episode of. This is an easy way for someone to claim ‘intellect’ without having to put in any real intellectual effort into thinking.
This lie also allows a person to claim ‘deep insight’ just because they heard someone read a quote over lo-fi beats. And because everyone assumes anyone who has listened to a podcast is more intelligent than a person who has never made it past the first episode.
“I Listen to Only Real Music.”
A classic lie for so many people. They believe that their playlist has been curated by Beethoven himself, but the truth is, their playlists usually contain songs that the average person has never heard of.
People say this to give the impression that they are ‘cultured,’ however, the truth is, they just look down upon mainstream music, yet secretly enjoy the same songs as everyone else. When no one is around? They are blasting the same guilty-pleasure bangers just like… the rest of us.
“I Don’t Watch TV – I Don’t Have Time.”
What they really mean is, “I binge-watch shows on Netflix and feel horrible afterwards.” They use this as a way to make it seem like watching television is beneath them, and they’re too busy working on other things.
Meanwhile, they stare at their televisions for 9 hours a day and continue binge-watching tons of shows in one sitting. There is nothing wrong with watching TV; however, pretending you don’t is a stupid way to act like you are smarter than you really are.
“I Don’t Procrastinate. I Work Better Under Pressure.”
This one wins the award for ridiculousness! People say they work well under pressure as a way of making themselves sound really efficient and disciplined. Everybody knows it just means they waited until the very last minute, internally cried about it, and then called it “peak productivity.”
Working better under pressure is simply a clever way of saying, “I didn’t even begin until now.” The good news is, many of these people do get things done, eventually!
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