The topic of trust is an important factor in all matters of the heart — and here’s why. Men lie to women. Women lie to men. And most people agree that some lying is even necessary — to avoid petty squabbles and to grease the wheels of a relationship。
感情最重信任——但事實是，男女之間往往充滿謊言。不過，很多人也認為，謊言是避免無謂的爭論、緩和人際關系的必要手段。以下就是男人最常說的七個慌。
1. “Me? I graduated top of my class。”
“我讀書的時候，成績頂呱呱！”
This is a classic case of the runaway male ego, designed to present a man in the best light and impress a woman. When the lies continue into marriage, it’s not long before the truth will out。
這句經典謊言恰恰詮釋了潛在的大男子主義，為男人在女人心中留下了完美形象。不過，一旦結婚，真相不久便會水落石出。
2. “Of course I like your friends!”
“我當然喜歡你的朋友！”
A man I know told his girlfriend, “You’re a great cook — much better than my mother。” In fact, his mother is a chef at a well-known New York restaurant. Fortunately for him, by the time his girlfriend discovered the truth — when they dined at his mother’s restaurant — she was so in love that she forgave his overzealous compliment。
我的某個朋友跟他的女友說：“你的廚藝真了不得，連我媽都趕不上你。”其實，他老媽是紐約某家著名餐廳的大廚。幸運的是，當他們在那家餐廳吃飯一切真相大白的時候，女孩已經深深愛上了他，原諒了他的溢美之詞。
3. “Honey, you’re the best。”
“親愛的，你是最棒的。”
In the first rush of romance it makes sense for a man to engage in exaggerated praise of a woman’s beauty and sexuality. But “you’re the best” lies can paralyze a relationship。
在戀愛初期，男人有必要刻意夸贊女人的美貌和性感。但是，“你最棒”這樣的言辭有時候也會引起麻煩。
4. “No, I can’t call you. I don’t even know where I’ll be。”
“我都不知道會在哪兒，沒法給你打電話。”
These are the sad lies, the ones he tells because he’s falling out of love. The more quickly a woman seeks the truth behind these lies, the sooner she can remedy the relationship — or, if necessary, end it。
男人如果跟你講這種喪氣的謊言，那就意味著他不再愛你了。女人趁早識破這種謊言，才有望彌補彼此的關系——要么，就干脆了斷吧。
5. “That dress isn’t too tight. It looks great!”
“那件裙子剛剛好，你穿上去太美了！”
By and large, these are the good lies — the ones that show he cares. But kind lies can be too much of a good thing if a man habitually says only what his partner wants to hear. It sets the woman up for rude awakenings。
說起來，這應該是善意的謊言——表示他在乎你的感受。但是，如果男人總是習慣性地講你愛聽的話，未必就是好事。以后，女人聽到丁點兒逆耳之言都有可能受不了。
6. “They’re downsizing at work. But don’t worry. They won’t get me。”
“公司在裁員，但是別擔心，他們不可能炒我魷魚的。”
Many men still feel paternalistic about the women they love, so they lie to spare them worry. But these lies can destroy the very sense of confidence that the man hoped to create. And they can make a woman feel she is not a respected partner in the relationship。
很多男人在心愛的女人面前總有一種“家長義氣”，所以也總會撒點小謊來撫慰女人的憂慮。不過，這種謊言有時反倒會挫傷信心，讓女人覺得自己并未得到真正的尊重。
7. “Sure, I’ll mow the lawn — as soon as this crick in my back goes away。”
“好吧，等我背痛好些，我就去修理草坪。”
There are few things that trouble a man more than a woman’s anger — or nagging, as he calls it — so he lies to avoid a scene. It is in “hassle-prevention lying” that men can demonstrate their greatest versatility。
再沒有比女人的怒氣或是喋喋不休的嘮叨更讓男人惱火的事兒了，于是他不得不撒謊來逃避這些事情。用男人自己的話來說，這些都是“化解爭論的小謊言”。
“I’ll take the kids to the park — when the weather gets nicer,” he says as he goes out the door with golf clubs. “I would have scrubbed the pots, but I couldn’t find the scouring pads” — never looking under the sink。
“天氣再好點的話，我就帶小孩去公園玩。”他會邊說邊準備去打高爾夫。“我是想洗碗來著，但沒找到抹布。”——好吧，他可不會去看水槽下面是什么。
