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I'm fine. What are you talking about, you do not look fat in those jeans. I'll give you a call.

We lie all the time. And we get away with it quite often, too. But some folks push their made-up narrative so far, it's hard to imagine anyone actually believing them.

So they end up on the subreddit r/thatHappened. Its members share evidence of "people telling outrageous tall tales that would make Walter Mitty proud" and they have compiled quite the archive since the creation of this online community in 2012.

Here are some of its best gems.

#1

From Cursed Comments

From Cursed Comments

ya_boi01 , deborahhowarth9 Report

#2

Jesus Christ. What An Idiot

Jesus Christ. What An Idiot

or_gasm Report

Sometimes people lie just to inflate their image—some think this motivation is the reason behind President Donald Trump's demonstrably false statement that his Inauguration crowd was bigger than President Barack Obama's first one. But people also lie to cover up bad behavior, as American swimmer Ryan Lochte did during the 2016 Summer Olympics by claiming to have been robbed at gunpoint at a gas station when, in fact, he and his teammates, drunk after a party, had been confronted by armed security guards after damaging property.

We can find similar examples even in fields that are dedicated to the search for eternal truth. And one doesn't have to look far, either. Take the physicist Jan Hendrik Schön, for example, whose purported breakthroughs in molecular semiconductor research proved to be fraudulent.

#3

Imagine Getting Called Out Like That, By Harry Styles Himself

Imagine Getting Called Out Like That, By Harry Styles Himself

Harry_Styles Report

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#4

Not Really Sure What Is There To Brag About Anyways

Not Really Sure What Is There To Brag About Anyways

-Lanius- Report

#5

Running A 5k In 10 Minutes

Running A 5k In 10 Minutes

itsharryngl Report

Lying is something many of us are very good at. We do it while interacting with strangers, co-workers, friends, and loved ones. Turns out, our capacity for dishonesty is as fundamental to us as our need to trust others, which ironically makes us terrible at detecting lies. Being deceitful is woven into us, so much so that it would be truthful to say that to lie is human.

The ubiquity of lying was first documented systematically two decades ago by Bella DePaulo, a social psychologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara. DePaulo and her colleagues asked 147 adults to jot down for a week every instance they tried to mislead someone. The researchers discovered that the subjects lied on average one or two times a day. Most of these untruths were innocuous, intended to hide one's inadequacies or to protect the feelings of others. Some lies were excuses (one subject blamed the failure to take out the garbage on not knowing where it needed to go). Yet other lies, such as a claim of being a diplomat's son, were aimed at presenting a false image. While these were minor transgressions, a later study by DePaulo and other colleagues involving a similar sample indicated that most people have, at some point, told one or more "serious lies", like hiding an affair from a spouse, or making false claims on a college application.

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#6

How Does She Expect Anyone To Believe Her? My Mother Sent Me This From Our Neighborhood Facebook Group

How Does She Expect Anyone To Believe Her? My Mother Sent Me This From Our Neighborhood Facebook Group

rslashseanyboi Report

#7

The Entire Sub Is Like This

The Entire Sub Is Like This

psrty4321 Report

#8

And Then The Coronavirus Clapped

And Then The Coronavirus Clapped

flopsychops Report

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Researchers suggest that lying as a behavior arose pretty soon after the emergence of language. The ability to manipulate others without using physical force likely conferred an advantage in the competition for resources and mates, akin to the evolution of deceptive strategies in the animal kingdom, such as camouflage.

"Lying is so easy compared to other ways of gaining power," Sissela Bok, an ethicist at Harvard University who's one of the most prominent thinkers on the subject, told Nat Geo. "It's much easier to lie in order to get somebody's money or wealth than to hit them over the head or rob a bank.

"Experts are learning that we're prone to believe some lies even when they're easily contradicted by clear evidence. These insights suggest that our proclivity for deceiving others, and our vulnerability to being deceived, are especially consequential in the age of social media.

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So in the case of r/ThatHappened, it's nice to see that we can still retain our ability to distinguish truth from fiction.

#9

Antivax Jesus Made Me Want To Die

Antivax Jesus Made Me Want To Die

Thedepressionoftrees Report

#10

Lady Who Lives In Massive Fantasy Land Goes To Disneyland

Lady Who Lives In Massive Fantasy Land Goes To Disneyland

whachoomean Report

#11

Woman Finds Microchip In Her Son’s Mask!?

Woman Finds Microchip In Her Son’s Mask!?

IHaveNeverEatenACat Report

#12

Of All The Things That Didn't Happen, This Didn't Happen The Most

Of All The Things That Didn't Happen, This Didn't Happen The Most

mojey6068 Report

#13

Mhmm, Yeah Sure It Was

Mhmm, Yeah Sure It Was

Mc-MeepMeep Report

#14

This 2-Year-Old Must Have A Degree Already

This 2-Year-Old Must Have A Degree Already

Chakwenta Report

#15

Everyone’s Worst Nightmare

Everyone’s Worst Nightmare

sam_babs Report

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#16

Oh Yeah. For Sure

Oh Yeah. For Sure

griffonbrioche Report

#17

Brags To All Their Friends For Saving Their Life With Essential Oils

Brags To All Their Friends For Saving Their Life With Essential Oils

theacondaa Report

#18

Discord Users Are A Different Breed

Discord Users Are A Different Breed

reddit.com Report

#19

And All Vampires Clapped

And All Vampires Clapped

InsaneGamer18 Report

#20

Sure He Did Aubrey

Sure He Did Aubrey

atheistpianist Report

#21

While These Children Weren’t Oxygen Starved, The Poster Was At Birth

While These Children Weren’t Oxygen Starved, The Poster Was At Birth

DavidThorne31 Report

#22

Found This On A “People Who Think Liking Harry Potter Is A Personality Trait” Fb Page

Found This On A “People Who Think Liking Harry Potter Is A Personality Trait” Fb Page

reddit.com Report

#23

And Then Ben Franklin’s Image Clapped

And Then Ben Franklin’s Image Clapped

reddit.com Report

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#24

Well, That Saved Me A Goog!

Well, That Saved Me A Goog!

budingerzdfdsgdsg Report

#25

I Won't Remember Posting This

I Won't Remember Posting This

RIPbyEugenics Report

#26

Her Jaw Dropped

Her Jaw Dropped

K1ngHutch Report

#27

Hate When People Underestimate The Condoms I Use In A Night Smh

Hate When People Underestimate The Condoms I Use In A Night Smh

Dumdemiboy Report

#28

This Has To Be A Joke, Right?

This Has To Be A Joke, Right?

God_sent_me_nudes Report

#29

Anti Vaxxers Are A Gold Mine

Anti Vaxxers Are A Gold Mine

Vonnybon Report

#30

Then The Toys Clapped

Then The Toys Clapped

josiahhughes Report

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#31

Ye Right And Cats All Clapped

Ye Right And Cats All Clapped

sentenza63 Report

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#32

Highly Doubt It

Highly Doubt It

teapotsnake Report

#33

That Totally Happened

That Totally Happened

BigWhiteMountain Report

#34

She Also Happens To Be A Wannabe Travel/Wellness Influencer

She Also Happens To Be A Wannabe Travel/Wellness Influencer

dannysdfe Report

#35

Sorry, What The Hell Did I Just Read?

Sorry, What The Hell Did I Just Read?

ellafanta Report

#36

Cos A Dentist Has Enough Time To Watch An Entire Film Instead Of Working

Cos A Dentist Has Enough Time To Watch An Entire Film Instead Of Working

silvyrphoenix Report

#37

I’m Sure They Jumped Another $15 An Hour For No Reason

I’m Sure They Jumped Another $15 An Hour For No Reason

gracieannabelle Report

#38

Became A Bird Person

Became A Bird Person

easyburg Report

#39

Another Clueless Nitwit Who Thinks They're Smarter Than The Teacher

Another Clueless Nitwit Who Thinks They're Smarter Than The Teacher

whachoomean Report

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#40

Le Epic Protest

Le Epic Protest

Missdisasterous Report

#41

Of Course They Said That

Of Course They Said That

yonhagever Report

#42

“Lone Wolf” Beats Up 6 People

“Lone Wolf” Beats Up 6 People

LeQuackz1234 Report

#43

Stunning And Brave

Stunning And Brave

EvyTheRedditor Report

#44

Hear Me Roar

Hear Me Roar

haggis_man1213 Report

#45

Even Some Of The Commenters Are Feeling Sus

Even Some Of The Commenters Are Feeling Sus

moshedman85 Report

#46

A Bunch Of People On The Comments Said That They Had Done Something Similar. Is This A Common Thing?

A Bunch Of People On The Comments Said That They Had Done Something Similar. Is This A Common Thing?

IbukisGuitar Report

#47

Woman Convinces Everyone At CVS To Take Off Their Masks - No Really This Happened I Was The One Clapping

Woman Convinces Everyone At CVS To Take Off Their Masks - No Really This Happened I Was The One Clapping

mojey6068 Report

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#48

No One Liked That

No One Liked That

TheOwlsLie Report

#49

I Don’t Think So

I Don’t Think So

Midget_LlamaYT Report

#50

Very Likely Story

Very Likely Story

Winter-Beans Report

#51

Must Be Pretty Rich Huh?

Must Be Pretty Rich Huh?

GroovyDude1446 Report

#52

Mlm Huns Need To Come Up With Better Lies

Mlm Huns Need To Come Up With Better Lies

Srosenbz Report

#53

The Professor Is 16?

The Professor Is 16?

faded-pink Report

#54

The Waiter Literally Cried

The Waiter Literally Cried

rmks8285 Report

#55

Did The Whole Cafeteria Clap As Well?

Did The Whole Cafeteria Clap As Well?

reddit.com Report

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#56

Real Gamer Girl

Real Gamer Girl

travvy_cott_borgar Report

#57

Maybe Believe If He Wasn't Complete Vermin

Maybe Believe If He Wasn't Complete Vermin

mnro Report

#58

I’m Literally Non-Binary And Have Never Felt Like I Was Misgendering A Fckn Chess Piece

I’m Literally Non-Binary And Have Never Felt Like I Was Misgendering A Fckn Chess Piece

one_paranoid_android Report

#59

And Then People Around The Neighborhood Clapped

And Then People Around The Neighborhood Clapped

ClownInYoDreams Report

#60

Of Course It Did Deer

Of Course It Did Deer

That-Guy-J Report

#61

Kids Think He’s Walt Disney And He Can’t Bear To Tell Them Otherwise

Kids Think He’s Walt Disney And He Can’t Bear To Tell Them Otherwise

PeterParker72 Report

#62

"Accidentally Gave Myself The Vaccine" Via Twitter! Riiiiight

"Accidentally Gave Myself The Vaccine" Via Twitter! Riiiiight

galactiicpup Report

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#63

Sure Thing Bruh Bruh

Sure Thing Bruh Bruh

notmypretzeldent Report

#64

Yes I’m Sure That’s Why You Uploaded It

Yes I’m Sure That’s Why You Uploaded It

cas2ie Report

#65

A Kindergartner Can Definitely Say That

A Kindergartner Can Definitely Say That

CAUSTIC101 Report

#66

I'm Sure Ya Did Buddy

I'm Sure Ya Did Buddy

Available_Cup_9588 Report

#67

Found This On Some Investment Entrepreneur Instagram Account

Found This On Some Investment Entrepreneur Instagram Account

TheCommunist_Scholar Report

#68

Docs Know You Are Educated

Docs Know You Are Educated

djteotancolis Report

#69

Youtube Comments Are A Goldmine

Youtube Comments Are A Goldmine

emrednz07 Report

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#70

Woah Great Job, Kid

Woah Great Job, Kid

m8man Report

#71

Gay Shakespeare

Gay Shakespeare

Laprasnomore Report

#72

Posted By A “Influencer” Do People Honestly Believe This S**t?

Posted By A “Influencer” Do People Honestly Believe This S**t?

reddit.com Report

#73

No Such Thing As Conflict Of Interest!

No Such Thing As Conflict Of Interest!

madcre Report

#74

And Everyoone Started Cheering

And Everyoone Started Cheering

wdymyname Report

#75

S**t Break Snacks In Fantasyland

S**t Break Snacks In Fantasyland

snarkicon Report

#76

Wise Worlds From A Wise 7 Year Old

Wise Worlds From A Wise 7 Year Old

laseurdenuit Report

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#77

Freestyle Rapping During An Interview... Hmm!

Freestyle Rapping During An Interview... Hmm!

ImbibingandVibing Report

#78

Target Will Miss Them

Target Will Miss Them

uhm_i_dont_know Report

#79

You Can't Take Crack Orally And It Doesn't Prevent You From Blinking

You Can't Take Crack Orally And It Doesn't Prevent You From Blinking

RedditSmokesCrack Report

#80

Teacher Quits Because Of Camo Jokes

Teacher Quits Because Of Camo Jokes

haveasoul Report

#81

It's True Guys, I Was The Sign!

It's True Guys, I Was The Sign!

Fanfic_Galore Report

#82

A Mom Walking Up To A Stranger Toddler At A Playground To Call The Toddler Out As A Poser About Their Favorite Band

A Mom Walking Up To A Stranger Toddler At A Playground To Call The Toddler Out As A Poser About Their Favorite Band

TheeOxygene Report

#83

Yeaaa Okay. I’m Not Too Sure About This

Yeaaa Okay. I’m Not Too Sure About This

ImbibingandVibing Report

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#84

Because That's Totally Something They Can Do

Because That's Totally Something They Can Do

smokefan4000 Report

#85

“Accidentally” Accessed The Dark Web

“Accidentally” Accessed The Dark Web

awol-onion Report

#86

Man Ran Because Of A Belt

Man Ran Because Of A Belt

Dsp5_ Report

#87

We Divorced Because My Kid Lied

We Divorced Because My Kid Lied

The-Holy-Sheep-3 Report

#88

Then The Whole House Clapped

Then The Whole House Clapped

jml1877 Report

#89

Does This Belong Here?

Does This Belong Here?

nolitos Report

#90

I Believe You

I Believe You

haggis_man1213 Report

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#91

Proud Mama Bird

Proud Mama Bird

The_OwO_Is_Comin Report

#92

I Vibe With Wanting Live Childfree But This Is Just Sad

I Vibe With Wanting Live Childfree But This Is Just Sad

Indominus_Khanum Report

#93

Found This On Instagram Today And Thought Of You Guys

Found This On Instagram Today And Thought Of You Guys

420_420_man Report

#94

A Girl Posted In My Pe Class That Her Mile Run Was 4 Minutes And 39 Seconds... What?

A Girl Posted In My Pe Class That Her Mile Run Was 4 Minutes And 39 Seconds... What?

wispy-cloud Report

#95

Give Me A Break

Give Me A Break

Haleylumlum Report

#96

And She Was Never Bullied Again

And She Was Never Bullied Again

ooblankie Report

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