The top 10 lies Brits tell over their lifetime
10:14 19 May 2009
In an age of constant political scandal and backtracking business promises, it comes as no surprise that lying is not alien to our national identity.
A new study has revealed that more than a third of people regularly lie about their age as well as how often they drink or make love, revealing a nation that is insecure with their personal details being assessed in public.
The survey of 2,000 people found that 36% admitted to lying about their age - the chief reason being to attempt to buy alcohol when below the legal drinking age and also to impress the opposite sex.
In terms of drinking, a similar number said they often lied about how much they drank on a night out. However the younger drinkers exaggerated how much they had, while older people were more likely to play down how much they consumed.
More than a third of people confessed that they lied about their sexual history. Again there was a divide in figures as three in 10 men exaggerated the number of people they have slept with, while women tended to reduce the figure.
Other lies extended into the business world with embellishments regarding CVs as well as rates of salary and past illnesses. The survey was commissioned by the newly launched TV channel Really.
The top 10 lifetime lies are:
-
Age
Can you be trusted?
Reveal if your boss has faith in you. - Alcohol consumption
- Sexual history
- Changed appearance
- Job
- Embellished CV
- Sex with current partner
- Connections
- Wages
- Concealing an illness