Kids fib. It's a fact of life. Although it may be worrisome that your tot is lying straight to your face, new research shows that children who are "good liars" may actually have a better verbal memory than those whose lies aren't believable.

The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, found that if your child creates imaginative lies that get past even you, it's the result of some serious thought. "So lying may, in some way, be a marker of a capable little brain," according to a Forbes article.

During an experiment for the study, 6- and 7-year-olds were left in a room with a card that had the answer to the next question of a short test on the back. When the researcher left the room, the kid decided whether or not they'd take a peek to get the correct answer.

Obviously, the whole experiment was filmed so the researchers could see who had or hadn't lifted the card for the answer. When asked whether they knew the answer on the back of the card and whether they could guess the small details found on it, the researchers were able to separate the good liars from the bad ones.

The good liars said things like, "That is my fave cartoon; I watch it every Saturday so I know the characters," even though it's a completely fake cartoon. The not-so-cunning kids barely gave any details at all.

But before you freak out that your child is a pathological liar, you may be relieved to hear that lying is a natural way of developing proper thinking skills, and hey, most of us adults even do it!

Next time you wag your finger at your fibber, at least you can have peace of mind knowing deep-down your kid is a smartypants.

[via Forbes.com]