The Little White Lie: How Far is too Far?

We've all done it, as much as we hate to admit it. We've lied to people about things that may seem petty at the time, but in actuality, if gone about the wrong way, could do some emotional damage.
It could start off with something as simple as telling your friend that the new outfit she bought really looks fabulous on her, when in actuality you really think she looks drab and boring. Or maybe she's just a little to curvy to pull of the red halter top. But, in order to spite her feelings you simply smile and give her a nod of approval. Whatever, the case, there has to be some reason why you lied. Could it be that we are just to insecure in our own right that we have to do little things to cover up? Or is it that we are just afraid of confrontation?
In my experience in telling "little white lies" it was simply that people think they will tell you what you want to hear. They are afraid of the confrontation that comes with ridicule and rejection. However, I think that maybe we tell them because we don't think it throught. We don't take a step back and say, "well it would help if I gave some constructive criticism, but it may also be hurtful, if this was something they were really proud of," so instead, like I mentioned above we just tell them what they want to hear. So maybe it is a good lesson to all of us to just take a step back and consider all possible outcomes before opening our mouths and starting what could be a not s friendly confrontation.