Deakin U reports research surveys find people do not like “paternalistic lies” where the liar is “making an assumption about the recipient’s best interests.”

Deakin’s Matthew Lupoli and US collaborators suggest paternalist lies include doctors talking up test results, government talking down disasters and romantic partners “delivering false praise with the intention of preventing emotional harm.”

“We found that the targets of paternalistic lies did not believe that the liars were truly trying to do what they thought was best for the target,” they advise.

Good-o, but CMM is sticking with no-one’s bum ever looked big in anything.