We tell ourselves lies every day. We pretend we don’t see the homeless man who is really in need on the street， extending his hand， begging for a buck. We lie to ourselves because it’s easier than looking him in the eye and seeing the anguish that comes with a life we could never fully understand. Lies flow from us all the time. For some， it comes easy， others are terrible liars. At first， lies can make us feel good， but be careful—more often than not， they will come back and bite us on the butt.

This month， our feature articles take a very honest look at lies. First up， we look at the connection between lying and gender. Do Men or Women Lie the Most? sees doctors and sociologists weighing in on the issue and explaining the differences between the sexes. The key message they present: be truthful at any cost.

In Cultivating a Lie we track the journey of a lie and explore the fine line between a half-truth and a full-blown lie. We discover that there really are no happy endings to a lie， and find that honesty really is the best policy.

The consequences of lying are further demonstrated in Angel at the Fence， a disturbing example of how lies can snowball out of our control. One man shows that he is willing to go to any lengths to keep his lie alive—until he is caught out. What was the biggest lie you have ever caught someone out on? With some tips from Six of the Most Common Lying Gestures you can be sure to spot a liar from a mile away.

Lies represent the darkest side of human nature. On the flip side is honesty—a human quality that brightens the streets we walk on， the streets the homeless man roams. When you see him， don’t turn a blind eye. Give him a dollar， or， at the very least， give him a warm， sincere smile.

每一天，我們都對自己撒謊。我們假裝自己沒有看見大街上那伸手討錢，確實需要幫助的流浪漢。我們這么做是因為，比起直視他而看見那種我們從來不能完全理解的生活所帶來的痛苦，欺騙自己相對輕松。我們一直謊言不斷。對有些人來說，說謊很容易;而有些人則是很厲害的說謊者。起初，謊言可能會使我們感覺良好，不過要小心——它們時常會回頭反咬我們一口。

這個月，我們在主題故事里坦誠地說說“謊言”。首先，我們看看撒謊和性別之間的關(guān)系?！赌腥薞s. 女人:誰才是大話王?》一文中，一些學者和社會學家就這一話題表達了各自的看法，并解釋了男女撒謊的不同之處。他們傳遞出的關(guān)鍵信息是:無論如何都要誠實。

在《謊言之“罪”》一文里，我們追尋謊言的足跡，去探究“閃爍其詞”和“徹底假話”之間的細微界線。從中我們發(fā)現(xiàn)，謊言真的不會帶來快樂的結(jié)局，誠實的確是上策。

撒謊的惡果在《鐵絲網(wǎng)外的天使》一文中得到了更進一步的展現(xiàn)。這個令人不安的事例讓我們看到了謊言是如何像滾雪球一樣越來越大，進而變得失控。為圓謊，文中的主人公無所不用其技——直到被拆穿。你曾揭穿過他人什么樣的彌天大謊呢?借助《六個最常見的說謊小動作》一文提供的一些小技巧，你肯定能輕而易舉地看穿那些大話王。

謊言代表著人性中最黑暗的一面。它的反面是誠實——這種人類品質(zhì)會照亮我們穿行的街道，照亮流浪漢所徘徊的街頭。當你看見他時，不要視而不見。給他一美元，或者，最起碼，給他一個溫暖而真誠的微笑。