Last Updated on February 14, 2024 by Lifevif Team and JC Franco
When you enter a new relationship, it is vital that you start on the basis of truth. Building a relationship on a lie will only end in heartbreak for both parties involved. Start the relationship with honesty; you want to be in an honest relationship, so treat your partner the way that you want to be treated.
Sometimes we may find ourselves wanting to lie to our partners about something because we fear the repercussions of the truth. However, a lie cannot be undone, and if your partner learns the truth by themselves, the consequences will be far worse for you.
In this guide, we’ll be talking about all the reasons why honesty is so important to maintain a healthy relationship, regardless of how painful the truth may sometimes be.
1. It Builds Trust
When you are completely honest with your spouse/partner from the beginning of the relationship, they will have no reason not to trust you or the things you do.
Building a relationship on lies will only result in more lies in the future. Once you have told one lie, you will start finding it so easy to tell another and will soon find your relationship balancing on a web of lies. Never give your partner a reason not to trust you.
2. It Builds Confidence
By always being open and honest with your partner, you give them the confidence to know they can ask or talk to you about anything, regardless of the nature of the question. You will find your relationship getting stronger for this reason alone.
3. You Can’t Build a Relationship on Lies
A relationship built and constructed on lies is destined to fail, no matter how good you think your lie is. This is because lies are hard to keep up with, and eventually, you will slip up, and the truth will come out. This will more than likely end your relationship. Mistrust is the cause of many relationships ending.
4. Lies Will Hurt Your Partner
Lying to your partner about small, trivial things isn’t as good an idea as you might think. Small lies eventually build up and fall apart, and you will end up hurting your partner when they do. What may be a small lie to you, could affect your partner in a way you may not realize. Why take that risk with someone you love?
5. Lies Will Eventually Fall Apart
When you lie about something, you need to construct an entirely new version of events that you will always need to remember. As time passes by, you will eventually start forgetting details, and your lie will be exposed.
6. Lying Can Cause Distance
When you lie to your partner about anything, they are bound to learn the truth. This could take just a few minutes or a few years. But when the truth comes out, your partner won’t feel the same trust as they once did and will become emotionally distant.
They will start to wonder how much of you they really know and how much is a made-up lie. You will also always be on edge, wondering if someone you know may say something about you that you may have told your partner a little web of lies about.
7. The Truth Will Always Be Better Than a Lie
No matter how painful or upsetting the truth may sometimes be, it will always be better to tell the truth. This is because lying about something will hurt your spouse far more when they think you don’t trust them. The truth may hurt and sting for a while, but a lie will be a great deal worse.
8. A Lie Could Cause Emotional Damage
Sometimes you may want to lie about something, thinking it won’t be a big deal. But no matter how well you know someone, you cannot predict how they will react to your lie. You could end up causing your partner emotional damage when your lie is revealed.
A lie that has been told and lasted a long period of time will leave your partner wondering why you never just told them the truth. The longer the period of a lie, the more hurtful it will be when it is revealed. It will cause you to wonder why you may have lied in the first place.
9. A Lie Can Be Stressful
When you lie about something to your partner, you need to hide the truth from everyone else as well. However, this can lead to an enormous amount of stress for you, and eventually, you will break, and your lie will be undone.
You may have to ask people to lie for you, and this, too, will put your relationships at risk. No one will trust a person who is asking them to join in their lie.
10. One Lie Will Lead To a Second
You may lie about something because you don’t want to face any consequences. But sometimes, when you get away with one lie, you may find yourself lying about other things more frequently.
For example, you may lie unconsciously as you’ve taught your brain to hide the truth. What ends up being a lie, and what is the truth? Will even you remember?
11. You Might Put Your Partner in Danger
If you lie to your partner about someone or something, you may end up putting them in a dangerous situation that could be life-threatening. Your partner may not know they lie, and they will be blamed or potentially could be hurt when the lie is found out.
12. You Could Cause Your Partner to Worry
There are times when you may lie to your partner and think you’ve gotten away with it, but in reality, your partner knew you were lying the entire time. This could cause your partner to worry that something more serious is going on, especially if you don’t usually lie. Often a person starts to doubt their partner because they are telling lies.
13. Honesty Shows You’re Compassionate
By being completely open and honest with your partner, you are showing them that you can be caring and compassionate towards them and the things they value. This will result in them being more open and honest with you, especially if they have previously had difficulties opening up.
14. Honesty is Freeing
When you remain completely open and honest throughout your relationship, you will have no stress and nothing to worry about. You will be completely free to go about your life as your partner will have no reason not to trust you.
You also won’t be sitting watching the clock, wondering where they are, who they are with, or when they will be home, all because you have no reason not to trust them, as trust is the base of any good relationship.
15. Honesty Displays Maturity
Emotional maturity is one of the biggest things we all look for when entering a long-term relationship. Unfortunately, when someone is emotionally immature, they are more likely to be deceitful and dishonest with their partners.
16. Honesty Allows You to be Yourself
If you are always honest with your partner, you will have no reason to hide any aspect of yourself or your life. This is because your partner will already love and trust you when it comes to anything.
Being yourself in your relationship is how you truly know you have found the right person; they love you unconditionally for being you.
Last Word
Honesty is arguably the foundation of any healthy relationship. Although there may be times when lying may seem like the better option, it is always better to be completely open and truthful with your partner.
This article was co-authored by our team of in-house and freelance writers, and reviewed by our editors, who share their experiences and knowledge about the "Seven F's of Life".
JC Franco
JC Franco is a New York-based editor for Lifevif. He mainly focuses on content about faith, spirituality, personal growth, finance, and sports. He graduated from Mercyhurst University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business, majoring in Marketing. He is a certified tennis instructor who teaches in the New York City Metropolitan area. In terms of finance, he has passed the Level I exam of the CFA program.