We’re all guilty of telling a little white lie or two when it comes to the complex world of relationships. The question is though, how often do we do it – and what exactly are we fibbing to one another about?

SHEmazing! surveyed the men and women of Ireland to find out what they were most likely to lie about to their other halves. Let’s see what they had to say…

Turns out guys and girls are both most likely to lie to members of the opposite sex during a one night stand rather than in a serious relationship, with a whopping 73% of men and 70% of women saying they thought lying was acceptable with a casual hook-up. As for fibbing during a relationship, just 4% of ladies said it was okay – but 10% of Irish men didn’t see a problem with it.

Some of us would rather never lie at all, with 26% of women saying they thought it was never the right thing to do and 17% of men agreeing.

As for what exactly we are lying to one another about, fibbing about how drunk they were last night topped the polls for both guys and girls, with 53% of men saying they had lied about it, and 34% of women. Next up for lads was their previous relationships – almost half of men (46%) have told a few fibs about their exes.

On the other hand, in second place for women was what we think of our man’s outfit – a whopping 31% of us have told a lie on that subject!

When it comes to fancying one another’s friends, turns out this is a bigger problem for the guys – 30% of men admitted to lying about fancying their partner’s friends while just 17% of women faced the same problem. Interesting!

We all know lying’s not exactly best practice in a relationship – so why do we do it? Well, we’re an emotional bunch it seems, as the biggest motivator for lying among Irish guys and girls is not hurting one another’s feelings. A staggering 73% of men listed it as the main reason they would fib, and 79% of women said the same. Avoiding confrontation was another poll-topper, with 63% of guys and 72% of females saying they’d lie to keep the peace.

As for keeping up appearances, this was a bigger issue for ladies. Over half of women polled (54%) said they’d lie to impress a man, but just 43% of men would do the same.

So there you have it –it seems Irish men and women are all guilty of telling a pork pie or two, but it’s all for good intentions… well, most of the time anyway!