A third of men lie on a first date

Nov. 11, 2010 - PRLog -- It appears that honesty is not the best policy for men when it comes to first dates; as new research from www.MyCelebrityFashion.co.uk, the UK’s leading independent celebrity fashion website, has revealed that one in three, 32%, admit to telling lies on a first date.
Conducted by MyCelebrityFashion.co.uk, the study aimed to find out more about men’s attitudes towards relationships, following the launch of the new men’s fashion section to its website. 1,672 men aged 18 and over subsequently took part.
Respondents to the study were asked the question, “Have you ever lied on a first date?” with 32% of men taking part selecting “yes.” These men were then asked to choose, from a multiple list of answers, what exactly they had lied about. The top 5 most common lies were as follows:
1) Job/ Profession- 47%
2) Relationship history- 38%
3) Hobbies/ Interests- 25%
4) Car- 19%
5) Living situation- 12%
These men were then asked to stipulate further what exactly they had lied about, within these categories. Over half, 56%, of those who admitted to having lied about “Job/Profession” on a first date explained that they had “exaggerated the seniority of their current position;” whilst over a quarter, 27%, explained that they had “stated they worked in a completely different profession.”
Of the men who admitted to lying about relationship history during first dates, over two fifths, 41%, admitted to “downplaying the number of relationships they have had;” whilst in contrast, one in five, 19%, explained that they had “exaggerated the number.” One in ten, 11%, explained that they had denied having a relationship with a particular person whom, in reality, they had been involved with. Furthermore, 6% admitted to having told a first date they were single when they were not.
The majority, 66%, of the men who had lied about “Hobbies/Interests” explained that they claimed to be interested in the same things that their date enjoys; when in reality, they were not.
Furthermore, 78% of those who chose “car” admitted that they had told a date they owned a “better” car than they did and 3% said they could drive when they could not. Just under half, 49%, of those who chose “living situation” explained that they had lied to a date by claiming to own their own home.
Of the respondents who admitted to having lied on a first date, the majority, 72% claimed to do so in order to “impress” their date. Just 7% of respondents claimed to have done so in order to “put their date off them.” Furthermore, one third, 33%, admitted to having told their date the truth on a second date; whilst one in five, 21%, admitted that their lies were only unveiled “when their date discovered the truth herself.”
Andy Barr, marketing director of MyCelebrityFashion.co.uk, commented on the findings:
“With the launch of the new men’s section to our website, we really wanted to learn more about men’s attitudes; particularly towards how they deal with relationships. First dates are always difficult to handle, so to hear that one in three men admit to having lied on one isn’t really a surprise; especially given that the main reason was to ‘impress’ their date.”
He continued:
“A little white lie on a first date can help ease conversation, but lying about something as big as your job is never advisable. First impressions plant the roots of your future relationship, and when your date discovers you’ve lied, all trust flies out the window. More importantly, white lies never go undiscovered; no matter how careful you are!”