It never ceases to amaze me how this 1 question is a sure Fire way to get a conversation going no matter the circumstance. Whether you are having a 1 on 1 conversation with someone or hanging out with a group of people, bring up this topic and I guarantee you will see even the most quiet hermit there is have an opinion.

I am sure it is no surprise that most Women will say that Men lie more while most Men will say the exact opposite with a few exceptions here &  there.

Before I get into it, lets define what a lie is. A lie can de defined as: –
An Untruth; A prevarication; A falsehood; A type of deception; A pretence with intent to deceive; a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth.

After looking at this definition, I was quite intrigued and wanted to see if there are different kinds of liars. I found; according to sociologist-anthropologist Dr. Gina Graham Scott, there afe 5 types:

1^st – The model of absolute integrity Liar- This person is very ethical, and almost rarely lies about anything.

2^nd – The real straight-shooter Liar – An occasional, flexible liar, but most of the time, the person will tell the truth. So If someone says, `Do you like my dress?’ they will answer yes, but they really hate it, they will say they like it because they don’t want to say anything negative or bad and hurt the other persons feelings.

3rd – The pragmatic Liar – These are the ones who lie “when the situation calls for it. They also lie when they feel like it’s in their own best interest.

4^th – The real Pinocchio Liar – Just like the character in the book, this is an entertaining liar who exaggerates and tells long tales.  A perfect example would be the salesman who goes beyond the hype and exaggerates their product. These are people who have no qualms about lying and will tell people anything just to get something from them.

5^th – The compulsive liar – These are those people who just can’t tell the truth. I try and avoid these people as they lie about almost everything, even when they don’t have to. This is the person who is almost getting to the point of being a pathological liar; almost anything that comes out of their mouth is a lie.

*Take a second and think about it; Which one are you?*

Now that we have gotten that out of the way, I did some research to see if there is any empirical evidence that confirms which sex lies more. From both my polls, conversations and academic research, I discovered …  DRUM ROLL PLEASE……..

Men apparently Lie more than Women. (I am convinced the research must have been carried out by Women.)

I thought about this and one of the reasons I believe the research turned out this way is because Women are way more concerned with getting lied to than Men are. Also, Women are much more careful in their lies. They plan better, “They create a history around the lie – it has a beginning, a middle and an end.

However, lets stick to the empirical evidence for now. The Science Museum of London found in their study 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. Men are also less likely to feel guilty about lying.

Out of Curiosity, I did some further research as to WHO GETS LIED TO THE MOST. What do you think the answer is? Shockingly – Mums! LOL. I found that piece of information quite hilarious.

So now that I have presented you with all the facts, time for Chilly’s Opinion (and the crowd goes WILD…haha).

While the jury is still out on this “RESEARCH” above, I don’t think either Men or Women Lie More or Less than the other. However, I do think that Men and Women tend to lie more about different things and for different reasons.

Men lie more for ‘logical’ reasons while women lie more for ’emotional reasons. I think this is because Men tend to always place more value on what they have, while women place more value on how they look and are perceived and how other people feel.

Lets get into this a little bit more, Men will lie about their Sexual Prowess, conquests and abilities, their financial position, what they have and the list goes on. They will do all this in an attempt to make themselves appear more desirable and less weak. A very Logical reason.

Women on the other hand will lie about their sexual past and experiences (downplay it), they will pump up their boyfriend with false praise, will create excuses to stay in an abusive relationship, will be fake to other women they dislike and will use accessories to make themselves look prettier. These are more Emotional reasons.

As for who tells more lies? I think that People just tell fibs in general and the quantity has got nothing to do with their Y chromosome or lack thereof. As long as you stay away from Compulsive and pathological liars, you will probably be alright.

As for you, next time you are caught in a the awkward silent situation where you have nothing smart or intelligent to say, instead of lying about something – just bring up this topic up and watch the room liven up with everyone’s version of their own “truth”…