(It's nice to see a topic owner actually replying to their own topic. ^ ^)
So do you ever sugarcoat a lie you tell someone to spare their feelings ?
I don't do this, and people appreciate my honesty as well. I DO however "sugarcoat" the truth. People of all ages that I have met respect me for my true honesty as well. Lying only would prevent them from doing it right (that is, if they want the truth for that reason). I may not even say anything negative and only offer advice and/or point out any good thing I can notice. I'm a bad liar and just don't like doing it. I never have to even considering lying to tell the complete truth, and I don't even have hurt their feelings. It's easy for me to be honest without hurting people. ^ ^ I care a lot about people's feelings though, and I know how to prevent hurting them (helps to know the person of course!). If someone DEMANDS the truth, they will get it from me though (but not in a mean way, no never!). I'm not any good at critiquing though, and I usually save my advice for close friends. ^ ^;
How to feel about sugarcoating ?
I may use sugarcoated words with people I don't know well, to let them know I mean well (because people are more defensive these days and are used to being hurt). I also use it to brighten someone's dark day to make them feel better. There's a lot of meanness in this world, so why not be sweet sometimes? A little kindness can go a long way. If it improves their day, I'm all for it! I'm not fake though, I really mean it when I say positive things (which goes back to the first question)!