What's more, Dr. Lee said that younger children who bend the truth have a cognitive advantage over the ones who don't. "Lying requires two ingredients," he explained. "Children need to understand what's in someone else's mind—to know what they know and what they don't know. We call this ability theory of mind. The children who are better at theory of mind are also better at lying."

The second requirement is executive function, otherwise known as the power to plan ahead and curb unwanted actions. "The 30 percent of the under-3s who can lie have higher executive function abilities," Dr. Lee said, "specifically the ability to inhibit the urge to tell the truth and to switch to lying." Such cognitive sophistication, he added, means that these early liars will be more successful in school and in their dealings with other kids on the playground.

Dr. Lee conducted theory-of-mind experiments (a popular tool for helping children on the autistic spectrum and those with behavioral problems) on a group of 58 preschoolers in China, dividing them into two groups after testing them for such things as intelligence, lying ability, and executive function.

Half of the children received six sessions of theory-of-mind training and the other half received an equal number of sessions devoted to teaching number and spatial problem-solving skills. Researchers found that the children in the theory-of-mind group had not only become better liars but also were significantly better at lies than the control-group children were.

"The first occasion of your child telling a lie is not an occasion to be alarmed but an occasion for celebration," Kang told the Wall Street Journal.

Well, that's a relief!

Building Blocks Daycare and Preschool have been a part of the Springfield community for 20 years, offering 2 convenient locations (south and west).

Building Blocks Preschool Inc

805 Chatham Rd Springfield, IL 62704

(217) 698-8877

http://www.bbdaycare.com/