Would You Lie to Me?

Do you ever tell a little white lie to spare someone’s feelings? How about to get yourself out of a sticky situation? Lying is a part of human nature, and almost every single one of us will lie at some point in our lives – whether it’s a tiny fib or a huge fabrication.

In a recent survey, it was found that men lie more often than women, and they don’t feel as guilty about doing it as girls do. 3000 people were polled in Britain to find these results; men were found to tell on average three lies every day, and women twice per day.

The most commonly told fibs are just as you’d expect; do you ever tell your partner that you’re “fine” when you’re far from it? Do you play down the amount you’ve had to drink with your mates? These topped the list when men were asked. Women are also guilty of telling us they’re fine when there’s something wrong, and they also play down the cost of something when they’ve been shopping; they might say it was in the sale, just so they don’t get into trouble for overspending!

Some lies are told so that another person’s feelings aren’t hurt; a good example of this is when you pretend you like a gift, but really think it’s horrid. Telling the person who gave it to you wouldn’t achieve anything, so it’s often best to pretend. But at other times, lies are malicious and only told to cause pain; this could be spreading vicious rumours that you know aren’t true, or sending someone on a wild goose chase to get them out of your hair. Everyone has their own morals, so the level of lie told depends on the individual.

In the survey, it was found that mothers are lied to the most often. Seen as the boss of the household, husbands and children don’t want to anger the mother so might lie about where they’ve been, who they’ve seen or what they’ve bought. Teens might lie about drinking and smoking to prevent themselves being grounded, and husbands wouldn’t divulge that they’ve spent time with a blonde escort.

After telling a lie, 82% of women said that guilt eats away at them, plaguing their conscience. Fewer men suffer from this problem, with 70% of men feeling racked with guilt after telling a lie. Sometimes this can cause you more suffering than if you’d told the truth in the first place!