Even the revered Thomas Jefferson was accused in his day of being a liar and a cheat, among other things -- accusations that sound right at home in the twentieth century. Are people just hopelessly cynical? Why is it that, to many, "politician" and "liar" are thought to go hand in hand?

New studies suggest that there may, in fact, be a reason. At Colgate University, child psychologists watched a group of children playing with each other on a playground, in order to determine which children emerged most often as the "leaders" -- those who initiated and led group activity rather than just following along. You remember these kids -- they were the ones who stood the rest of us up in lines, and then chose players for the baseball team, one by humiliating one.

Next the researchers ran a test in which they had the whole group deliberately lie to each other, saying that a particular drink was sweet, even when it wasn't. Guess who emerged as the most effective deceivers of other children? You got it -- the same group who made the most effective leaders.

Is there a one-to-one correlation between "Yum yum -- try this sweet drink" in kids and "Vote for me and I'll fix the nation" in adults? That's a bit of a stretch -- but the data do hint at a connection, especially since the experiment was reproduced in college students. Other interpretations are possible, of course, such as that people will do what leaders tell them even if they aren't fooled by what they say -- an equally chilling possibility.  

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