Have you ever wonder why Santa Claus was just an imaginary character but your parents are trying very hard to persuade you to believe it when you are just kid. After you discover it is not real, you get disappointed, and become the laugh stuff among peers. Come to think of it, who really get benefits from this lie? I think nobody did.

The kids put so much hope on that day, greedily list down/hoping what he/she desire, but most case what they get is what their parents afford to (lucky for those rich kids). Most of the time, they don't get what they wish for. Poor kids get disappointed for nothing.

So here's the question, who really benefits from this lie? The parents or the kids? If you say the the parents, they have to make a story and cover their lie and spend money to buy the gifts, and all the credit have to go to Santa Claus, I don't see how parents actually benefits from this. If you say the kids, yeah they got a gift ... which more like an illusion actually, they happy for something that they think is real.

The real answer is, nobody actually benefit from the lie, both the one who lie and the victim actually did not get anything good from this white lie.

So here is my Santa Claus Syndrome definition: One side telling a white lie which actually want to benefit everyone initially and the listener believe it was true. But at the end, both party also did not get any benefit.

Example:

a. A guy lie he will call the girl after the first date, after few days waiting, the girl grew impatience and start to stalk the guy.

b. A bank kindly approve a house loan which one person actually not that qualified, but he has a good credit record, at the end, that person can't pay the loan and have to auction it.

c. A politician candidate bluff a bit how he can help the voters building a better country, everyone vote for him, turn out it didn't happen, and that politician get all the bad name.

d. Production line called the supplier to get more material for an urgent order, the supplier promise he can do it, but of course actually he can't, at the end, factory can't send out the product on time and they won't use this supplier anymore.

e. Government try to cover the epidermic, people believe it and this cause more people to die and government being accused of being uncapable.

f. Student take business course believe he can become enterpreneur, the college happily accept him, of course at the end he won't automatically become enterpreneur right after he graduate.

So from the example we can see, Santa Claus Syndrome is also Fake Hope Syndrome. How to cure it? First of all, be honest and stop lying or at least think twice before lying. Second, have some COMMON SENSE! If a guy/girl didn't call you at all after first dating, stop dreaming. If your salary and saving can't afford the house, stop dreaming. If any politic candidate promise something, please consider is it within his capability before you really vote him, else you are the one who get upset only.

Fundamental line is, be rational about your expectation, do more research before doing decision, and stop LYING because you want to make things better. Lying is like drinking poison and persuade yourself it is soda coke.