Two white lies that could save your relationship from falling apart

American psychologist Mark Travers argues in Forbes that even the healthiest couples sometimes bend the truth to protect their partner and relationship. Two specific 'white lies' may actually strengthen bonds rather than damage them.

Honesty is often held up as the golden rule of any relationship — something most of us were taught from childhood. But according to well-known American psychologist Mark Travers, writing in Forbes magazine, human relationships rarely follow absolute rules.

Travers argues that even the strongest and healthiest couples occasionally bend or distort the truth in order to protect their partner and preserve the relationship itself. Far from being a sign of weakness or deception, certain small untruths may actually serve a constructive purpose.

The psychologist identifies two specific types of white lies that, in his view, can prevent a relationship from unravelling entirely. Rather than eroding trust, these carefully chosen moments of diplomatic dishonesty can cushion emotional blows and keep communication from becoming needlessly destructive.

The underlying idea challenges the popular notion that radical honesty is always the best policy. Travers suggests that context matters enormously — what you say, when you say it, and how you say it can mean the difference between a relationship that grows stronger through conflict and one that crumbles under the weight of blunt truth.

While the debate between total honesty and compassionate diplomacy in relationships is unlikely to be settled anytime soon, Travers' perspective offers a nuanced view: protecting your partner's feelings and your shared bond is not inherently dishonest — it can be an act of love.