Everyone tells a white lie on occasion¹, it’s just a question of why. Some white lies save relationships, some ease² a hecticsituation, and others buy us time. We all do it, so there is no reason to deny it. As long as we aren’t hurting others or breaking the law, these innocent³ lies can make life more pleasant. Most of these white lies only stretch an interpretationof what the truth actually is anyways. Here’s a list of the 10most common white lies and why we tell them:

我们每个人都会说些善意的谎言，这毫无疑问，问题在于为什么我们要这么做。有些善意的谎言可以挽救我们的关系，有些可以缓解忙碌的处境，还有些可以为我们赢得时间。我们每个人都在说善意的谎言，我们没有理由去否定这个事实。只要不会伤害到其他人，不会触犯法律，这些善意的谎言是会让我们的生活更美好的。大多数善意的谎言都是我们对于真相的另一种延伸的阐释。以下列出10最常见的善意的谎言以及说出这些谎言的原因：

1.It wasn’t me! – Because some things just aren’t worth taking credit⁴ for。

谎言1：不是我！说谎原因：有些事情不值得我们去邀功。

2.Yeah, I’ll start working on that ASAP! – Because telling you I have 10 things to do first would just irritateyou。

谎言2：好的，我会尽快开工的！说谎原因：如果我告诉你在做你要求的这件事之前，我还有10件事要做的话，你肯定会抓狂的。

3.Oh, yeah. That makes sense. – Because option B involves admitting that I am clueless。

谎言3：是的，这挺有道理的。说谎原因：方案二会让我显得毫无头绪。

4.Thank you so much! I just love it! – Because telling someone that their gift sucked would make me look like an insensitivejerk。

谎言4：太感谢了！我很喜欢！说谎原因：告诉别人他们送的礼物一团糟会让我看起来像是冷血的混蛋。

5.ah, you look great in that dress. – Because it’s better than being slapped⁵。

谎言5：你穿这条裙子真好看。说谎原因：总比说真话被别人扇耳光要好吧。

6.I’m 29. – Because 29 is like 20 years younger than 30.

谎言6：我29岁。说谎原因：29岁听起来比30岁要年轻多了。

7.Yes, John was with me last night. – Because that’s what friends do… we agree and ask questions later。

谎言7：没错，约翰昨晚是和我在一起。说谎原因：这就是朋友该做的事。等下我们两个还要通通气，以免穿帮。

8.My resume⁶ is 5 pages long for a good reason。 – Because I’m darn good at bullshittin’!

谎言8：我写了5页的简历，那是因为我足够好。说谎原因：我就是个不折不扣的话唠！

9.Yeah, I was a badass on my high school football team! – Because I want to be seen by others in an even stronger light than I see myself。

谎言9：对，我在高中足球队里就是个捣蛋鬼！说谎原因：我想让自己在别人的眼里更加闪亮。

10.I thought I already sent that email out. I’m sure I did. – Because telling you that it was a low priorityand I forgot would probably hurt our relationship。

谎言10：我以为我早就把邮件发出去了。我真的发过了。说谎原因：如果告诉你我觉得这事不重要，我把这事忘了，就会伤害到我俩的关系了。