The Top 10 Little White Lies
Little white lies. We all tell them. We do it to be kind. (“I love this gift!”) We do it to protect ourselves. (“I’m leaving in five minutes.”) We do it because it’s the easy way out. (“I didn’t see your text.”) White lies are the kinder, gentler fibs about less important things. DIRECTV surveyed U.S. adults to find out which white lies they told the most and to whom. Provided the respondents were telling the truth, the survey yielded some fascinating results. The top 10 most frequently told white lies and the percentage of people who have used the lie:
- “I’m fine.” (92 percent)
- “I love this present!” (80 percent)
- “Sorry, I’m sick.” (78 percent)
- “I didn’t see your text.” (72 percent)
- “Let’s keep in touch!” (70 percent)
- “This meal you made is delicious.” (70 percent)
- “Leaving in five minutes.” (69 percent)
- “On my way.” (66 percent)
- “I’ll be ready in 15 minutes.” (65 percent)
- “No, you don’t need to lose weight.” (63 percent)
The top groups of people to whom we lie:
- Coworkers: 26.99 percent
- Family: 23.95 percent
- Friends: 22.06 percent
- Significant other: 10.78 percent
- Parents: 8.71 percent
- Other: 7.51 percent