What are lying in negotiations?

Lying in negotiations is when people say things that aren't true to get what they want.

Imagine you and your friend are trying to decide who gets the last cookie in the jar. You both really want it, but there's only one left. If you say, “I don’t like cookies anyway,” even though you do love them, that’s a lie, you’re trying to trick your friend into thinking you don’t want the cookie so they’ll take it.

Negotiations are kind of like playing a game. You and the other person are both trying to win. Sometimes people tell lies in this game to make the other person think something isn't true, maybe that the cookie is too small, or that they're not hungry anymore.

It’s just like when you say “I don’t want to play soccer” even though you’re super excited to run around and kick the ball. You're trying to trick your friend into thinking you're not interested so they’ll take the game, but it's all part of the fun!