Going home for the holidays can be amazing, with all the loved ones, time off work, and all that delicious food. But sometimes you have to pay a price for all that goodness when your family members start asking questions about your love life. And it seems some people are so annoyed by those prying relatives that they make up a pretend relationship on Thanksgiving as a way to deal.
According to a new survey of 1,000 adults conducted by Heineken, almost one in four Americans have actually faked a relationship to avoid having to deal with pressure from loved ones about finding a partner. And the beer brand’s research also shows who’s most likely to be making up a romance - Millennials. It turns out only 9% of Baby Boomers and 29% of Gen Xers have considered lying about an S.O., but 40% of Millennials admit to doing the same.
And the survey finds that men are more than twice as likely (33% to 16%) as women to lie about being in a relationship. So keep that in mind when your cousin starts bragging about his new girlfriend at the family holiday dinner.
But even if you are in a serious relationship - a real one, in real life - you’re still not safe, apparently. Because one in five people surveyed have had to endure family members excessively “hinting” about what comes next, like engagement, marriage, and having kids.