LONDON —Â Secrets may be no fun, but that doesn’t stop the average adult from keeping two juicy pieces of information locked away. A recent survey of 2,000 British adults asked respondents about their deepest secrets. It turns out that mental health, hygiene, and affairs top the list of things we hide from others.
Put together by OnePoll on behalf of Sky HISTORY, the survey reveals mental health issues are the number one most common secret among adults. After that, an embarrassing or “cringeworthy” incident comes in at number two with a third of respondents admitting to keeping such mistakes to themselves. Meanwhile, close to one in five adults (18%) keep their secrets simply to avoid relationship issues. Just over one in 10 even admit to keeping a secret to avoid police scrutiny.
“The research suggests that the British public keep many secrets from each other, whether that’s something trivial, embarrassing, or even personal – like mental health,” notes a Sky spokesperson in a statement.
So, who is being ‘protected’ from these unfortunate truths?
One in five are most likely to keep a secret from their mothers and 16 percent don’t even dare tell their best friends about their secrets.
Similarly, another 16 percent don’t tell their partners the whole truth all the time. Within that group, 14 percent also say they constantly dread their significant other uncovering a hidden truth.
Incredibly, 13 percent say they wouldn’t even tell their loved ones about a big lottery win. It’s important to mention, however, that many respondents confess that keeping secrets inflicts a heavy psychological toll. All in all, the poll concludes that over a quarter of adults see their day-to-day decision-making being influenced by the weight of the secrets they carry.
TOP 25 SECRETS PEOPLE KEEP FROM FRIENDS AND FAMILY:
- Mental health issues
- Embarrassing incidents
- Internet history
- Eating/snacking habits
- Hygiene habits
- Number of past sex partners
- Bank/credit card statements
- Faking an illness in the past to avoid a commitment
- Affairs/infidelities
- One night stands
- Illnesses
- Smoking habits
- Faking an illness to avoid work
- Money spent on food
- Fears/phobias
- Supporting an unpopular football team
- Time spent at the bar/pub
- Buying expensive items online
- Drug use
- Alcohol abuse
- Having a celebrity crush
- How good you are, or aren’t at something
- Being on a diet
- Political opinions
- Family history