The truth is out... men DO tell more lies than women

 

Lies, lies, lies: Men are more likely to fib than women, according to a new survey. (Posed by models)

It is something that wives and girlfriends have long suspected to be true.

Men are far more likely to tell lies than women, researchers have revealed.

Their study found that the average male tells 1,092 lies every year - roughly three a day.

By contrast, the average woman will lie 728 times a year - around twice a day.

And while men said their lies were most likely to relate to their drinking habits, the most popular female fib - 'Nothing's wrong, I'm fine' - hides their true feelings.

Men are also less likely to feel guilty about lying.

While 82 per cent of females questioned said telling a lie ate away at their conscience, only 70 per cent of men confessed to pangs of guilt.

Overall, 75 per cent of those polled agreed it was 'OK' to fib to save someone's feelings. 'Lying may seem to be an unavoidable part of human nature but it's an important part of social interaction,' said Katie Maggs, associate medical curator at the Science Museum, which commissioned the study.

'The jury is still out as to whether human quirks like lying are the result of genes, evolution or upbringing.'

 

According to the findings, we are most likely to spin a yarn to our mothers, with 25 per cent of men and 20 per cent of women admitting to this.

By comparison, only 10 per cent said they were likely to deceive their partners.

The study showed almost a fifth of us believe lie detection is acceptable in everyday life, with more than one in ten saying it was OK in the workplace.

Meanwhile, three-quarters felt it was 'fine' to use the process in criminal cases.

Miss Maggs added: 'Only a few people appear to accurately detect when someone is lying, but high-tech developers are working on creating more accurate technology.

'Whether we will soon be using accurate lie detectors in the home or at work is hard to say, but it won't be long before this technology is readily available.'

Market researchers OnePoll spoke to 3,000 adults for the survey.

The poll has been released ahead of the launch of the revamped Who Am I? gallery at the museum, in West London, which aims to make sense of brain science, genetics and human behaviour.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1279193/The-truth--men-DO-tell-lies-women.html#ixzz0oIlhU28E

Related articles by Zemanta

• The Guardian's Science Weekly podcast: Why human bodies are now creations and a memory making exhibition (guardian.co.uk)
• Women may struggle with maps but they are better at remembering routes than men (telegraph.co.uk)