11 Times When It’s OK To Tell A White Lie

You always have the right to refuse to share personal information. Sometimes it is more practical to avoid an awkward situation to save yourself with a white lie.

It can save your job.

It's OK to tell them they look great — even if you highly disagree. "We are not obligated to tell the whole truth if it hurts someone’s feelings,"

It's OK to say that you are fine even if you don't feel good. Not only do you not have to share, but they likely don't have the time to listen anyway.

Where babies come from, or creating a side story to hide family drama.

Mild false truths make it easier for people to get along and are primarily harmless in most cases

Say you're sorry, tell them they're right. If it’s just a little disagreement, there’s no harm in letting [them] have this one, just for the sake of your sanity.

Sparing people's feelings, smoothing over awkward social situations, and getting you through the worst of them as painlessly as possible.

Ultimately, the consequences can be measured by considering the balance between any harm prevented and any trust or integrity compromise.