The Most Common Lies People Tell Their Partners

From little lies to big whoppers, people admit to the things they fib about in their relationships

Everyone knows that trust is the cornerstone of every relationship, and in order to build that trust, honesty is the best policy. But no one is honest all the time, and often lying is a matter of degrees.

“Just because it’s more common to be dishonest from time to time doesn’t mean it’s not taking a toll on your love life.”

In a study by Superdrug Online Doctor, 1,000 people were surveyed about their lying habits in relationships. First respondents were asked if they have ever lied to their partner and 73.4 percent admitted they have, while 26.6 percent claimed they have not. You may assume the people who did lie were not satisfied in their relationships, but that wouldn’t be the truth. In fact, 85.8 percent of those who lie to their partner report that they are indeed happy in their relationships — only slightly less than the 90.6 percent satisfaction rate of those who do not.

“It’s important to acknowledge that everyone lies. No matter who you are (or who you’re dating), everyone is guilty of bending, concealing, or otherwise disregarding the truth,” Superdrug Online Doctor explained in a blog post about the study. “But just because it’s more common to be dishonest from time to time doesn’t mean it’s not taking a toll on your love life.”

What Do People Lie to Their Partners About Most?

Although all lying in relationships can erode trust to some degree, not all dishonesty is created equally. In order to sort the little lies that don’t have a serious impact on relationships from the huge ones that might, researchers asked people about the little and big lies they have told their partner.

The most common small lies among women were related to:

• A gift they received from their partner (38.8 percent)
• Opinions about their partner’s family (32.5 percent)
• Their partner’s cooking skills (28.4 percent)
• Their partner’s sexual technique (27 percent)
• Their partner’s weight (26.5 percent)

For men, the top topics were:

• Their partner’s weight (39.3 percent)
• A gift they received from their partner (33.5 percent)
• Their partner’s cooking skills (31.5 percent)
• Their partner’s haircut (28 percent)
• Their partner’s clothing choices (27.6 percent)

Just because these lies are relatively benign didn’t mean respondents took that as a license for deception. In fact, only .3 percent of men and .5 percent of women said they always tell little lies, while most respondents (29.8 percent women; 25.3 percent men) rarely did.

“No matter who you are or how much you think you love someone, there are a handful of toxic relationship habits that can and will destroy almost any romance.”

On the other hand, Superdrug Online Doctor also asked people about the big lies they have told in their relationship. The men in the study reported their biggest untruths were concerning:

• Infidelity (24.9 percent)
• Drinking frequency (19.7 percent)
• Debt (16.2 percent)
• Dating site usage (15.5 percent)
• Physical health (10.4 percent)

For women, these large lies were about:

• Infidelity (25.3 percent)
• Debt (15.2 percent)
• Mental health (8.7 percent)
• Physical health (8.4 percent)
• Money earned (7.9 percent)

As with little lies, people did not tell the big ones all the time, with only .2 percent of men and .5 percent of women admitting to always telling these whoppers. All the same, researchers point out how harmful both big and small deceits can be to the foundation of a relationship.

“No matter who you are or how much you think you love someone, there are a handful of toxic relationship habits that can and will destroy almost any romance,” Superdrug Online Doctor’s blog post noted. “Because open (and honest) communication is so important, lying about any of these major issues could spell doom for your love life.”

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Source:

Lying In Relationships. Superdrug Online Doctor. https://onlinedoctor.superdrug.com/lying-in-relationships/