It looks like it is. The opinion of scientists.
Yes, weaning a child from lying is a habitual tradition of education. A recent study by psychologists from the University of North Florida and the University of Sheffield says that lying is a great trainer for a growing brain.
If a child is able to build fictions in a coherent, logical sequence and lie without straying, his memory and mental abilities develop better.
The study involved 135 children aged 6 to 7 years. They were given the opportunity to secretly peep the answers to the upcoming quiz. The children didn't know they were being filmed on a hidden camera.
Researchers found that those children who saw the correct answers and then blue-eyed denied it performed better on memory tests than the other two groups. Those who did not peep and those who confessed to cheating were far behind the tricksters.
Lead author of the study, Dr. Tracey Elloey, explains: “This study shows how closely the brain's working memory and the ability to lie are closely related. Children have to keep in mind two realities, real and fictional, and at the same time control the reaction of the interlocutor. In fact, this is a triple effort for the brain, which develops its abilities.”
Well, there's some consolation now for the parents of natural-born hucklers, right?