The earlier a child starts telling convincing lies the more likely they are to be a success in later life, new research suggests.

Researchers have found that the ability to tell fibs at the age of two is a sign of a fast developing brain and means they are more likely to have successful lives.

They found that the more plausible the lie, the more quick witted they will be in later years and the better their abiliy to think on their feet.

It also means that they have developed "executive function" - the ability to invent a convincing lie by keeping the truth at the back of their mind.

“Parents should not be alarmed if their child tells a fib,” said Dr Kang Lee, director of the Institute of Child Study at Toronto Universit who carried out the research.

“Almost all children lie. Those who have better cognitive development lie better because they can cover up their tracks. They may make bankers in later life.”

Lying involves multiple brain processes, such as integrating sources of information and manipulating the data to their advantage.

It is linked to the development of brain regions that allow “executive functioning” and use higher order thinking and reasoning.

Dr Lee and his team tested 1,200 children aged two to 16 years old.

A majority of the volunteers told lies but it is the children with better cognitive abilities who can tell the best lies.

At the age of two, 20 per cent of children will lie. This rises to 50 per cent by three and almost 90 per cent at four. The most deceitful age, they discovered, was 12, when almost every child tells lies.

The tendency starts to fall away by the age of 16, when it is 70 per cent.

As adulthood approaches, young people learn instead to use the less harmful “white lies” that everyone tells to avoid hurting people’s feelings.

Researchers say there is no link between telling fibs in childhood and any tendency to cheat in exams or to become a fraudster later in life.

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