Self-deception can hurt the one who is in denial, and others. It can come across as being willfully obstinate, not caring about the people around them.

Sometimes, it seems that the person deceiving themselves actually believes the deception.

Self-deception is so common that we often have euphemistic phrases for it. We say people have wishful thinking, bury their heads in the sand, or are drinking their own Kool-Aid.

Here are some examples:

Many times, as shown in the examples above, the deception doesn’t help anyone. And, yet, it is a pervasive phenomenon. There must be a reason that we have evolved that way. What could have been the........

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