The Psychology Behind Why People Lie About Reading Books

Let’s face it: No one wants to feel left out of an intellectual conversation. When a group starts passionately debating 1984, your brain whispers: “Oh no, they’re all nodding like they understand this. Just nod too. Maybe throw in a ‘Yeah, Orwell really predicted the future, huh?”

This is impression management, where we adjust our behavior to appear more cultured or intelligent—even if it means bending the truth a little.

👉 What you can do instead: Instead of pretending, try asking, “I haven’t read it yet, but I’d love to know what you think!” This way, you engage honestly in the conversation. You might even discover new perspectives that help you decide if the book is worth reading.

Tip to Try: If you feel insecure about not reading a book everyone’s talking about, ask others for their opinions. Instead of feeling left out, ask, “What did you like most about it?” This keeps you in the loop without faking knowledge. People enjoy sharing what they’ve learned, and you’ll get honest insights that help you decide if it’s worth reading.

Ever skimmed a book summary and felt like you basically got the gist? That’s your brain playing a trick on you. The Dunning-Kruger Effect is when we overestimate our understanding of something we’ve barely encountered.

So when someone asks, “Have you read Sapiens?” and you vaguely remember a YouTube video about it, your brain might go: “Close enough. Say yes.”

This happens often in academic or professional settings where we feel pressure to “keep up” with others.

Ever noticed how certain books suddenly become trendy?

One day, nobody is talking about Sylvia Plath. The next, social media is flooded with The Bell Jar quotes, aesthetic book collections, and moody images of classic literature.

It’s tempting to say, “Oh yeah, I love Plath’s poetry,” even if you’ve only ever read a few lines online. This is the Bandwagon Effect, where we follow trends because it feels like everyone else is doing it.

Sometimes, we don’t lie to impress others—we lie to ourselves. For example:

• You buy The Power of Now because you want to be the kind of person who reads deep, philosophical books.
• You tell people you’re reading The Brothers Karamazov because it aligns with the “intellectual” persona you admire.
• You post a picture of A Brief History of Time on Instagram, even though you’ve only read the first two pages.

This is identity signaling—we adopt behaviors or fake them to reinforce the image we want others to see, and sometimes even to reinforce how we want to see ourselves.

Some people lie about reading books because they feel guilty about not reading enough. Our culture glorifies reading as a sign of intelligence and success. You’ll hear things like:

• 📖 “All successful people read every day.”
• 📖 “Smart people finish at least 50 books a year.”
• 📖 “If you don’t read, you’re missing out on success.”

The guilt piles up, and before you know it, you’re pretending to have read Les Misérables when you only made it through the first chapter.

Lying about books might feel harmless, but it can keep you from authentic conversations and real learning. Instead of faking it, try:

• Asking people about their thoughts instead of pretending you’ve read the book.
• Accepting that you can’t read everything, and that’s okay.
• Reading for your own growth, not to impress others.

So, be honest—have you ever lied about reading a book? No judgment. Let’s talk about it in the comments!