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Your Internet history isn’t the only dirty little secret in your relationship. In a study from Texas A&M University, people admitted to misleading their partner a third of the time. When they got hitched, that number dropped to 1 in 10—but still, that means the woman you exchanged vows with could be deceiving you on a near-daily basis. “Women weigh the pros and cons of honesty versus lying,” says Susan Shapiro Barash, author of “Little White Lies, Deep Dark Secrets: The Truth About Why Women Lie.” “Often they find that white lies serve them more than the truth.”

Your wife’s dishonesty may come from a place of compassion, or may just be an attempt to please or placate you. But, the truth is, no one wants to share a bed with Pinocchio. So when should your inner lie detector sound?

1. ‘This dress was on sale’

It wasn’t. In your wife’s mind, saving money (“It was half off!”) negates spending it—and therefore reduces the odds that you’ll blow up at her about blowing the budget. “This is often taught by the mother: Always downplay. Never reveal how much something really cost,” says Barash. And her need to protect her image may overpower her desire for honesty.

“We think a man will judge us for our spending habits, and that he’ll think we’re silly or frivolous,” says DeAnne Lorraine, a Los Angeles-based dating coach. “We don’t want him to think we’re a liability.”

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