It's official! Men tell more lies than women

The average man tells 3 lies a day - or a whopping 1,092 a year, whereas women in comparison fib just twice a day or 728 times a year, the Daily Express reported.



But a role reversal happens when it comes to hiding new clothes from a partner, in that situation, 39 percent of women feel the need to lie about their latest wardrobe additions, compared to just 26 percent of men.

Women are also most likely to pretend to be busy to avoid a phone call, 50 percent admit to this opposed to just over a 33.33 percent of men, the research by BMW Financial Services revealed.

But although lying causes a moral dilemma, Karen Pine, Professor of Developmental Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, says it is an essential trait in mankind.

"We think lying is bad, but actually the ability to deceive others has helped humans survive as a species. Our primitive ancestors had to compete for resources and would have needed to be deceitful to outwit their enemies," she said.

"Everybody lies, but we have to know when it's OK to do it and when not. It might be OK to say you like your friend's new hairdo when you don't really, because the fib could be good for the friendship. But telling lies to escape from life's difficulties can cause harm and will have long-term consequences. In some people it could even lead to compulsive behaviour, as one untruth has to be kept going with more lies.

"Who lies? Everyone does it but some people are naturally better at lying than others. Socially skilled people make better liars. Extroverts also tend to lie more often than more introverted people," she added.