• "Me? I graduated top of my class.”This is a classic case of the runaway male ego, designed to present a man in the best light and impress a woman.•  "Of course I like your friends!”• "Honey, you’re the best.” One of the most lied-about subjects has to be sex. Perhaps that’s because it’s the area where we are most vulnerable.•  "No, I can’t call you. I don’t even know where I’ll be.”These are the sad lies, the ones he tells because he’s falling out of love.•    "That dress isn’t too tight. It looks great!”By and large, these are the good lies — the ones that show he cares. But kind lies can be too much of a good thing if a man habitually says only what his partner wants to hear.• "They’re downsizing at work. But don’t worry. They won’t get me.”Many men still feel paternalistic about the women they love, so they lie to spare them worry.www.rd.com