We Lie to Ourselves..but Why?

What we say: Pew: Consumers Tired of Celeb Scandals

What we actually do: Lindsay, Britney Boost Entertainment-News-Magazine Ratings

Please excuse me for being the kind of person who is more prone to believe in what we as a people actually do rather than what we say. What I am trying to decide between is whether:

1. by lying to ourselves as we do we are really, really holding ourselves back from progressing or

2. if lying to ourselves in this way actually saves us from extinction. I worry that the truth may make people more prone to killing themselves and others...