Liars beware: Here’s how your little white lies can destroy your romantic relationship

According to research, an average individual lies about 6-7 times a day. In the dictionary, a white lie is defined as “a harmless or trivial lie, especially told to avoid hurting someone’s feelings”. Does this mean that white lies don’t affect your relationships? Experts say otherwise.

Lack of trust

Sooner or later, your partner will pick up on your frequent fibbing. And when that happens, your partner will lose trust in you and insecurity will creep in your relationship. That’s when your partner will think, “When will he/she lie next?” You may think that it’s no big deal, but that is not the case with your partner.

Lack of intimacy

You may think that you are manipulating the truth and concealing information to protect your partner. However, constantly hiding things from one another only makes you and your partner isolated. Keeping secrets results in lack of intimacy, and in turn results in breakdown of communication.

Forced by habit

The worst situation in a relationship is when it becomes a habit of a partner to lie. The partner, who constantly fibs, becomes entangled in his own tale of lies, and the other does not know what to believe in. Everything the fibber says is considered fictional.

How to deal with it

Honesty is the cornerstone of any stable relationship. However, this does not mean that you be tactless while expressing your opinions. Things that you need to keep in mind while communicating are the timing of the delivery of the truth, tone of voice and the choice of words.

(With inputs from relationship experts, Dr Anil Sethi and Pulkit Sharma)