Richest People In The World 2012 – Forbes Billionaires

Undeniably, many people are always enthralled by the lives of wealthy personalities and are always interested about knowing how they have actually succeed. For over twenty six years now, Forbes, a famous business magazine, has been following the lives of these world renowned wealthy personalities. In 2012, Carlos Slim Helu was again hailed as the richest man in the world after losing out Bill Gates in 2010, the cofounder of Microsoft, by a difference of $500 million. After Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, the owner of Berkshire Hathaway gets into the list. Their wealth is actually based on their company’s profit, and its net worth and shares in the market.

Below is the top twenty list of the world’s richest people as of 2012:

No. 1 Carlos Slim Helú

Net Worth:$69  billion – As of March 2012
Source: Telecom , Age: 72 , Citizenship: Mexico

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No. 2 Bill Gates

Net Worth:$61 billion – As of March 2012
Source: Microsoft, self-made , Age: 56 , Citizenship: U.S.

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No. 3 Warren Buffett

Net Worth:$44 billion – As of March 2012
Source: Berkshire Hathaway, self-made , Age: 81 , Citizenship: U.S.

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No. 4 Bernard Arnault

Net Worth:$41 billion – As of March 2012
Source: LVMH, inherited and growing , Age: 63 , Citizenship: France

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No. 5 Amancio Ortega

Net Worth:$37.5 billion – As of March 2012
Source: Zara, self-made , Age: 75 , Citizenship: Spain

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No. 6 Larry Ellison

Net Worth:$36 billion – As of March 2012
Source: Oracle, self-made , Age: 67 , Citizenship: U.S.

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No. 7 Eike Batista

Net Worth:$30 billion – As of March 2012
Source: Mining, oil, self-made , Age: 55 , Citizenship: Brazil

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No. 8 Stefan Persson

Net Worth:$26 billion – As of March 2012
Source: Hennes & Mauritz , Age: 64 , Citizenship: Sweden

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No. 9 Li Ka-shing

Net Worth:$25.5 billion – As of March 2012
Source: Diversified, self-made , Age: 83 , Citizenship: Hong Kong

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No. 10 Karl Albrecht

Net Worth:$25.4 billion – As of March 2012
Source: Aldi, self-made , Age: 92 , Citizenship: Germany

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No. 11 Christy Walton & family

Net Worth:$25.3 billion – As of March 2012
Source: Walmart, inherited , Age: 57 , Citizenship: U.S.

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No. 12 Charles Koch (tie)

Net Worth:$25 billion – As of March 2012
Source: Diversified, inherited and growing , Age: 76, Citizenship: United States

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No. 12 David Koch (tie)

Net Worth:$25 billion – As of March 2012
Source: Diversified, inherited and growing , Age: 71 , Citizenship: United States

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No. 14 Sheldon Adelson

Net Worth:$24.9 billion – As of March 2012
Source: Casinos, self-made , Age: 78 , Citizenship: United States

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No. 15 Liliane Bettencourt

Net Worth: $24 billion – As of March 2012
Source: L’Oreal, inherited , Age: 89, Citizenship: France

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No. 16 Jim Walton

Net Worth:$23.7 billion – As of March 2012
Source: Walmart, inherited , Age: 64 , Citizenship: United States

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No. 17 Alice Walton

Net Worth:$23.3 billion – As of March 2012
Source: Walmart, inherited , Age: 62 , Citizenship: United States

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No. 18 R. Robson Walton

Net Worth:$23.1 billion -  As of March 2012
Source: Walmart, inherited , Age: 68 , Citizenship: United States

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No. 19 Mukesh Ambani

Net Worth:$22.3 billion – As of March 2012
Source: petrochemicals, oil & gas, inherited and growing, Age: 54 , Citizenship: India

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No. 20 Michael Bloomberg

Net Worth:$22 billion – As of March 2012
Source: Bloomberg PL, self-made , Age: 70 , Citizenship: USA

The 10 Best Free Anti-Virus Programs

This article really needs no introduction. There are many free anti-virus programs on the market, and you want to sort the wheat from the chaff. Fair enough. Documented here are the 10 best antivirus programs on the market.

While I won’t attempt to rank the programs here (in many ways the programs can’t be compared), I will attempt to give you an idea of under what circumstances they will be useful.

The order here for the 10 best antivirus programs  is mostly random, so be sure to read every entry if you want an idea of what will work for you.

Microsoft Security Essentials

Released by Microsoft in late 2009, Microsoft Security Essentials sports more than a typically verbose Microsoft name: it’s also a really good antivirus. Lightweight enough to run on older machines without crippling their performance, yet competent enough to handle most viruses and malware out there.

Perhaps the best part of MSE is its simplicity. As you can see, the user interface is really clear, with large buttons for the most basic functions. This is important if you’re setting it up on a computer for someone who is not computer-savvy.

Finally, MSE is completely free – there’s no professional version you can upgrade to. In fact, it’s even permissible to use in business situations, meaning you can use it at work without breaking the law. This alone sets it above most of the other selections for the 10 best antivirus programs.

AVG Free

This one recently topped our Movers and Shakers list of the top downloaded free anti-virus programs. But just because AVG is popular doesn’t mean it’s not great.

AVG has become synonymous with free anti-virus, and there’s a reason for this: AVG offers complete malware protection, with considerably less bloat than the top pay-to-use antivirus clients. And while AVG Free does constantly remind you that you could pay for the professional version of the program, it does this without ever getting in the way of the program’s core purpose: protecting you from viruses.

Though when it comes to upgrading one version of AVG to another, you need to make sure you’re good at reading what’s on screen, because the free download is only available via a tiny link at the bottom of the screen””the site really wants you to get the paid version. When upgrading to version 9 recently, for example, check out how hidden the free download was:

Avira Free

In terms of simplicity, Avira’s right up there with MSE. It’s fairly lightweight, too, so the comparison is quite apt. While Avira does have a paid professional version to peddle, much like AVG, it’s not quite as aggressive as AVG in peddling it. I’d say Avira is solid and worth looking into for sure. Download Avira Free here.

Avast! Free

If this competition were for the coolest name, the piratey Avast! would win hands down. Even though that’s not what we’re discussing, Avast! stands up pretty well. This is one of the top free anti-viruses on the market, and for good reason: it’s remarkably complete. Expect great all-around protection, including against trojans and spyware. You can also expect constant reminders that there’s a free version you can upgrade to, on your desktop and in your inbox. Still, the protection is solid.

Download Avast! here.

Malwarebytes

Whatever your default anti-virus is, you need Malwarebytes too. This program doesn’t run in your system background and constantly protect you, but when you run into a problem running Malwarebytes will usually take care of what other programs can’t. I’ve saved more than a few unbootable systems by running Malwarebytes from safe mode. This program takes care of any form of malware you throw at it, so keep it around. In fact, I’d keep this one on your flash drive in case you ever need to fix a computer for a friend (and if you’re reading this blog, you probably will).

Download Malwarebytes.

ComboFix

Consider this the nuclear option. If you know you’ve got a virus, but your usual anti-virus program can’t handle it, and Malwarebytes can’t handle it, it’s time for ComboFix. This program isn’t friendly: it runs from a command window and is proud of it.  And this is not a program you should use if you don’t know what you’re doing, because it can have devastating effects in the hands of the uneducated. But when all else fails, ComboFix delivers. Every geek should have this one on their keychain.

Download Combofix.

Clamwin

Clamwin is the Windows version of ClamAV, the main Linux anti-virus on the market. ClamWin is flawed in many ways: it simply scans instead of offering real-time protection, it doesn’t really do non-virus malware and it’s not exactly easy to use. Still, having ClamWin around doesn’t cost anything, and you can never have enough scanning tools in your arsenal.

Download ClamWin and see if you like it.

Panda Cloud AntiVirus

At first I thought the idea of a cloud-based antivirus was stupid, because it would only work while I’m online. Then it occurred to me: why the heck do I need an anti-virus when I’m offline?

As the name suggests, Panda Cloud Antivirus stores its virus definitions online. There’s an upside to this: your definitions are always up to date. There’s a downside, too, however: your anti-virus is constantly making use of your network connection.

I’d say this is a really good idea for underpowered PCs with constant access to the net. Like, say, a netbook. But if you’ve got a netbook you shouldn’t be using Windows anyway; switch to Jolicloud and you’ll have a functional netbook operating system immune to practically every virus.

Read a previously published article on Panda Cloud. Then download Panda Cloud Antivirus if you’re interested.

Comodo Firewall + Antivirus

Comodo is best known for its free firewall, but it also offers a bundled firewall and antivirus program. While the Comodo firewall isn’t the easiest to use, and the antivirus doesn’t include protection for non-virus forms of  malware, this one’s worth mentioning if you’re looking for a free security suite which includes both a firewall and anti-virus protection.

Download Comodo Free here.

Common Sense 2011

This one’s unusual in that it’s free and considered by far the best protection out there, yet can’t be downloaded anywhere. Without it, however, even the best security software is rendered useless.

If you haven’t already figured this out, Common Sense 2011 isn’t a product you can download so much as it is a state of mind. If you’re going to be free of viruses and malware you need to use your head while browsing the web. The most important thing to remember is this: if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is””and your computer will probably be compromised.

Free porn usually isn’t. Warez are best to be avoided altogether. Nigerians that need your help transferring money are never actually princes or princesses. You get the idea: avoid shady sites online and you’ll find you’ll get far less malware on your machine.

Conclusion

There are a lot of great free anti-virus programs out there, but what you use is mostly a matter of preference. Myself, I use Microsoft Security Essentials on my Windows machine because it’s free, lightweight and will never ask me for money. But I also make sure I always have Malwarebytes on my thumb drive for quickly removing viruses and malware from the computers of friends and family.

What about you? Which free anti-virus do you prefer? Commenting is good for you, so do so!

Five High-Paying, Low-Stress Jobs

Imagine the following scenario. Someone asks you how work is going and you say, “Not bad. The pay is great and the stress is manageable.” According to research from online salary database PayScale.com, that could be your reality if you choose one of the following well-paying jobs where workers report below-average levels of stress. 

PayScale.com collects salary and job information from employees around the country and has found that the most enviable gigs are typically knowledge-based and require highly specialized training and education.

“Being smart at something really helps you feel happy,” says Katie Bardaro, lead research analyst at PayScale.com. “The more preparation you put into a career, the more you can define your career, such as being able to set your schedule and your tasks.”

She adds that not having the pressure of being “a cog in the machine alleviates some stress.” It seems that being able to walk into a room and command everyone’s attention as you share your expertise makes you less likely to crave that sixth cup of coffee. 

Perhaps the promise of a career like this will inspire you to get the degree or additional job training you need to land one of these five high-paying, low-stress jobs.

1. Optometrist
Median Annual Salary: $99,200
Good attention to detail and a strong background in the sciences help optometrists diagnose vision problems, prescribe vision-correcting eyewear and help manage eye diseases like glaucoma. In addition to earning a bachelor’s degree and doctorate, optometrists must pass state and national exams. After all that, apparently, they are pretty happy. Job prospects are excellent, with 24 percent job growth expected through 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Find optometrist jobs.

2. Materials Scientist
Median Annual Salary: $90,600
Synthetic fibers, lubricants, leak-proof materials -- these are a few of the products created by materials scientists. They need strong chemistry backgrounds and at least a bachelor’s degree to get started. Those holding a PhD often specialize in areas such as analytical chemistry or polymer chemistry. 

Find materials scientist jobs.

3. Economist
Median Annual Salary: $85,600
Economists pay attention to the distribution of goods and resources. They may focus on money, natural resources or other valuables, and often work to predict future outcomes. Those with a PhD fare best in what can be a very competitive job market. You have to be willing to produce plenty of reports and analyses based on hours of number crunching. The government employs the majority of economists, according to the BLS.

Find economist jobs.

4. Aeronautical Engineer
Median Annual Salary: $82,800
Who wouldn’t feel inspired working on the wonder of flight every day? From lowering aircraft weight and fuel needs to improving safety, aeronautical engineers spend a lot of time rethinking and improving how we travel through the air. Aeronautical engineers typically have a bachelor’s degree to start, but many earn master’s degrees and pass both licensing and professional advancement exams.

Find aeronautical engineer jobs.

5. User Experience Designer
Median Annual Salary: $79,100
User experience (UX) designers optimize any experience where humans interact with objects, such as board games, ATMs and cars. For example, in a world where nearly anyone can create a Web site in hours, leading companies often hire UX designers to make their site more attractive and easy to use. UX designers come from a variety of disciplines, including psychology, industrial design and anthropology. 

“I work on projects just as they start or even initiate the project myself,” says Mike Bibik, a senior UX designer in Seattle. “This affords [me] a greater amount of influence, and I am not dealing with the stress of project decisions or directions with which I disagree.”

Can two bedrooms make one happy marriage

It’s now officially a substantial trend: a study by the National Sleep Foundation found that 25 percent of couples sleep in separate rooms. That’s one in four couples! Many who choose to sleep separately are reluctant to discuss it, but for most people, the decision to sleep in separate beds is a practical decision. It seems that sleep is elusive when you bed down with a partner who snores, tosses relentlessly, traipses to the restroom repeatedly, hogs the covers or is drenched in sweat each night. 

One partner often retreats to a guest room, kid’s bed or the family room sofa while hoping that people won’t assume the worst about their relationship. By 2015, The National Association of Home Builders says that it expects 60 percent of custom-built homes to include dual master bedrooms for this exact reason. “It’s important for couples facing these issues to try their best to avoid being influenced by negative social stigma and [others’] judgment around sleeping apart and be as creative and innovative in finding solutions that work for them,” says Manhattan psychologist Dr. Joseph Cilona. And while sleeping in separate beds may solve some issues, it’s not always a perfect solution. Sleeping separately may mean you’re both getting better rest, but will it chip away at the romance or take a toll on overall intimacy? Some folks think that sleeping apart robs a marriage of its special connection.
Here’s how couples can combat living as roomies and keep close, cozy and connected even if they sleep in different beds: 

1. Stay touchy-feely with each other. Even when couples don’t hold each other all night long, a lot of touching goes on while you’re falling asleep. Touch enhances the sense of intimacy and it also has a measurable biological effect: it stimulates the production of oxytocin, the hormone that deepens human bonding.

Separate-bed solution: “Make a real effort to stay touchy-feely during the day. Don’t just walk by each other; stop for a casual kiss or a loving pat. Hold hands on the couch and cuddle while you watch TV in the evening before bed,” suggests Beverly Hills psychiatrist Dr. Carole Lieberman, author of Bad Girls: Why Men Love Them & How Good Girls Can Learn Their Secrets (Cogito Media Group, 2010). “Couples need to make an extra effort if they sleep apart to consciously make up for the loss of loving touch. It’s not only important for holding onto the romance — touch is vital to emotional and physical health.” 

2. Engage in pillow talk. You may have lots of focused conversations about your kids, the car, work and the dog, but there’s also intimacy in the kind of pillow talk couples engage in as they relax before falling asleep. Good marriages thrive on these private, unplanned conversations that may vanish when you start sleeping separately.

Separate-bed solution: Try to fall asleep together in the same bed with the understanding that if one partner disrupts the other’s sleep, that person will slip off to a different room during the night. The one who wakes up first can join the other for pillow chat in the morning. Lieberman suggests taking your pillow talk “to go” — while snuggling on a porch, in front of a fire, in the garden or in any cozy corner of the home — with candles, soft music, strawberries and whipped cream before retreating to separate sleeping arrangements. 

3. Plan your romps between the sheets together. If you’re not snoozing together, you might end up having less sex. But psychologists say that many couples’ sex lives are enhanced by sleeping in separate rooms — in fact, it can even lead to greater desire for a partner or more frequent sexual encounters.

Separate-bed solution: “Instead of the ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ effect that sleeping together can bring — along with morning breath and bed head — you can present yourself at your most appetizing best,” says Lieberman. Women should forego their flannel pajamas for sexy lingerie instead. Light candles, take a bath or shower together, and invite your partner “over” to the bed he or she doesn’t usually sleep in. Create a “love nest” atmosphere and be spontaneous about where you will make love that night before you go to sleep. 

4. Find other ways to sustain your emotional connection. It’s easy for any couple to get caught up in the daily grind and take each other for granted. If you’re not sharing a bed nightly, it may be even easier to miss each other’s cues for connecting emotionally.

Separate-bed solution: “Look for ways to be able to lie down together, even if it’s not sleeping with each other every night. Just some quiet time [spent] holding each other can help deepen your relationship,” says Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo, psychologist and author of A Happy You: Your Ultimate Prescription for Happiness (Morgan James, 2009). Look for other ways to connect outside the bedroom, such as having at least one date night each week, engaging in a hobby or fun activity together — not just paying bills and doing household chores. Make breakfast dates (and keep them fresh) by planning a picnic on the floor, for example; other ideas could include eating on the porch or enjoying breakfast in bed together. “You shouldn’t sleep and eat separately — or it’s a recipe for disaster and divorce,” says Lieberman. 

Fan Art or False Advertising? Marie Claire's Fake Kate Middleton Cover

Kate, Duchess of Cambridge -- also known as Kate Middleton -- appears on the cover of Marie Claire South Africa's latest issue, smiling brightly and wearing a gauzy, multi-colored dress. But how did the magazine manage to land the princess, who famously refused to pose for Vogue just last year?

Turns out they didn't. The cover photo is a fake -- or, as Marie Claire writer Marisa Crous insists, "a fan art tribute."

Related: The cost of Kate Middleton's beauty routine

"We were so inspired by her fairytale wedding and her life as a modern-day princess, which is why we elected Kate Middleton as our cover star for the August issue," Crous writes. "But upon closer inspection, the cover is -- much like her life -- more fantasy than reality. The cover is actually a hyper-real illustration of Kate, meant to be a fan art tribute to fashion's new royal icon."

But the duchess has been clear about not wanting to be seen as simply a fashion icon. "The duchess will not be doing anything with U.S. Vogue, or any other publications for the foreseeable future," one royal aide said last year. Another royal representative told E! News: "Both William and Kate feel it would be wrong for Kate to promote herself as a fashion or style icon. That's not what they are about and they take their royal duties far too seriously to, in one sense, trivialize them."

Photos: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

This is the third time this month that the duchess's face has been digitally tampered with in print. Marie Claire went out of its way to be flattering, but New Republic magazine Photoshopped a set of decaying teeth into the princess' pretty smile to go with a story headlined "Something's Rotten: The last days of Britain," and the Daily Mail recently gave her an unsolicited digital makeover, complete with garish green eyeshadow.



Some Marie Claire readers feel duped by the cut-and-paste job. "She didn't actually pose for the cover?" asks one reader on the magazine's website. "How is that a good thing? Aren't you cheating your readers as well as your cover subject?"

"I'm not really a fan of this idea," another reader commented. "Will not be buying this magazine!"

Though true fans may note that the Marie Claire cover photo seems a bit off (the dress doesn't look like something Kate would normally wear, for one thing, and her hand-on-one-hip pose seems more runway than royal), the only real indication that her face was digitally added to someone else's body is a tiny asterisk at the end of a headline.

"Fashion's new royal icon wears SA's best local designs*," it reads. And, at the bottom of the cover, in barely readable letters: "Of course she doesn't. But she should."

Granted, the editors did write "Fan Art Tribute" above Middleton's maiden name, but it's not clear who the fan is, the duchess or the designers. Still, editor Aspasia Karras isn't apologizing for the cover photo, or for the other "hyper-real" images of her inside the issue.

"We have honoured her with a fan-art tribute, dressing her up in clothes by South African designers and placing her in all sorts of fun, everyday situations," she writes. The issue went on sale today.

What do you think? "Fan art," or false advertising?

Arnold Schwarzenegger confirms a Twins sequel

It has been 24 years since we last saw them on-screen together in 1988's Twins.

And fans will be pleased to know Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito will soon be reprising their roles as a lovable Odd Couple. Schwarzenegger confirmed the happy news last Thursday when he spoke at Comic-Con in San Diego. He said he will be teaming up with the original director Ivan Reitman, and that they are currently looking for a writer for the project.

Rumours surfaced earlier this year that Schwarzenegger and DeVito were set to star in a sequel to the comedy. However, it has been claimed that the duo could find another unlikely brother in the movie -- in the form of Eddie Murphy. Schwarzenegger, 64, played Julius Benedict in the first movie outing, who was conceived by test tube and went on a search for his long-lost brother.And DeVito, 67, took on the role of his brother Vincent, who turned out to be much shorter and a crook after failing to get any of the good genes. The film is set to be titled Triplets.

— Daily Mail

REUNITING: Arnold (left) and Danny DeVito haven't appeared on-screen together since the 1988 movie.  1/4

Taylor Swift tops Forbes list of highest earning stars under 30

Taylor Swift has topped Forbes Magazine's list of the highest paid celebrities under the age of 30, earning a cool $57 million in the last year. The 22-year-old star's riches are largely due to the success of her albums and tours, with CDs Taylor Swift, Fearless and Speak Now going platinum at least four times. The award-winning singer's concerts grossed around $1 million per night for 65 dates last year and she also profits from endorsing goods like CoverGirl cosmetics, according to Forbes which measured the stars' estimated earnings between May 2011 and May 2012. Swift even beat out Justin Bieber who is the only male celebrity in the top five. The 18-year-old Canadian singer made $55 million from record sales, concerts, and endorsements. The rest of the top five are filled out by female singers with Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry taking third, fourth and fifth places. Rihanna, 24, earned her estimated $53 million from a 85-date tour, hit album Talk That Talk and promoting Vita Coco coconut water and Nivea lotion. Ranking fourth, 26-year-old Lady Gaga earned $52 million last year, a lower place than previously, due to her 'lack of touring' before the May 2011 deadline, according to the magazine. However, she still rakes in cash from her latest album Born This Way as well as her old hits.

— Daily Mail

Forbes Magazine's highest earning celebrities under the age of 30 (please box off)

1. Taylor Swift, aged 22 — $57 million

2. Justin Bieber, aged 18 — $55 million

3. Rihanna, aged 24 — $53 million

4. Lady Gaga, aged 26 — $52 million

5. Katy Perry, aged 27 — $45 million

6. Adele, aged 24 — $35 million

7. Kristen Stewart, aged 22 — $34.5 million

8. Lil Wayne, aged 29 — $27 million

9. Taylor Lautner, aged 20 — $26.5 million

10. Robert Pattinson, aged 26 — $26.5 million

DMX hospitalised with concussion after four-wheeler accident

Rapper DMX has been hospitalised after suffering a concussion in a four-wheeler accident.

The 41-year-old, real name Earl Simmons, was driving the vehicle outside of his South Carolina home when he lost control and crashed while riding down a hill. According to TMZ.com, the four-wheeler flipped over but the star landed on his backside. DMX told the website he does not remember much of the incident, recalling only flashing lights from the ambulance when he came to. He is not sure when he will be released. The incident marks the second time DMX has been hospitalised this year. In January, he was admitted after suffering food poisoning.

Think men are the unfaithful sex? A study shows WOMEN are the biggest cheats - they're just better at lying about it

Are men or women more likely to cheat? While men have always had a worse reputation for being unfaithful, recent studies show that women are catching up fast - but we are a lot more likely to lie about it, and a lot less likely to get caught. 

Simply put, it seems that women are better at having affairs than men. 

The news that Farrah Fawcett had a secret affair for 11 years without telling a soul is a classic example of the way a woman cheats: discreetly, in secret, and while carrying on with the rest of her life as normal. 

Cheating housewife: Eva Longoria played a woman who had an affair with her gardener, played by Jesse Metcalfe, in Desperate Housewives

It has been met with hot denials by Ryan O'Neal, but - and I'm sorry to break it to you this way, Ryan - you'd be the last to know. 

According to Dr David Holmes, a psychologist at Manchester Metropolitan University, women are having more affairs than ever - recent studies say the figure is around 20 per cent for men and a bit over 15 per cent for women - but they behave very differently from men when they cheat.

'The biggest difference is that women are much better at keeping their affairs secret,' he says. 'If you look at the studies into paternity, even conservative figures show that between eight and 15 per cent of children haven't been fathered by the man who thinks he's the biological parent.' 

That's a lot of women keeping a lot of secrets. One woman I know - let's call her Juliet - has been married to Adrian for ten years, and having an affair with Mark for the past two. 

She has told me and her sister - otherwise, she says, she's '100 per cent certain' that nobody else knows.

'I won't allow Mark to call me on my mobile or email me, ever. Mobiles and email leave a trail. I insist we talk on our office landlines, and when we meet for drinks or dinner, we pay with cash. 

'We work in the same field, so meeting for lunch doesn't look suspicious. If we meet in the evening, I tell Adrian I'm with my sister, and meet Mark a few miles away, where we won't bump into anyone.' 

Secret affair: Ryan O'Neal knew nothing of partner Farrah Fawcett's alleged infidelity

Does she feel guilty about the affair? 'Not so long as Adrian doesn't find out. You know the 11th commandment: don't get caught.' 

Women have always had affairs, but over the past 20 years that number has risen dramatically.

Jobs outside the home - with the ready-made excuse of working late or business travel - financial independence and changing social attitudes mean that modern women simply have more opportunity to meet other men and start affairs. 

Mobile phones, internet chat rooms and email also make it easier to fuel intimate encounters. 

But while women's lives and sexual behaviour might have changed, their willingness to be honest about it hasn't. 

We lie so much that often we don't even think of it as lying at all, but as 'relationship management'

The truth is that we have always lied about our sex lives. British men consistently claim to have had more partners than women - the current average is 13, while women claim to have had only nine. 

Plainly, someone is lying here. While men might exaggerate their sexual conquests, the bigger liars are women. 

When studies about sexual partners or fidelity use a mixture of face-to-face interviews and anonymous computer questionnaires, men will give the same answers to both, but women will report much higher numbers when the answers are anonymous. 

Why do women lie? Because we must, and because we can. In spite of apparent equality and a more sexually open society, we are still more harshly judged for our sex lives than men. 

Can you imagine a leading female politician having an affair and her husband standing loyally by her? 

Behind closed doors: Working women have more opportunities to have affairs

Or the reaction to a female CEO having a public affair with her young male assistant? 

There is something particularly humiliating for a man about being made a cuckold. So we lie to protect ourselves from the judgments of others, and because sexual 'reputation' still matters more to women, whether we like it or not. 

But we also lie naturally and instinctively, as a way to manage and control our relationships, to protect our partners and our families, and to keep our options open. 

In fact, we lie so much and for so many reasons that often we don't even think of it as lying at all, but as 'relationship management'. 

Women are taught to lie from childhood. Those simple, altruistic lies such as saying we've had a lovely time when we haven't, that someone looks nice when she doesn't, or that we're delighted with a gift we don't really like, are just some of the small ways that lying oils the wheels of our social lives, keeps the peace, and makes other people happy. 

Girls will lie to protect someone's feelings or to build a relationship. Honesty, in these circumstances, looks highly overrated, and we quickly learn the value and power of being economical with the truth in relationships. 

Many women also develop a habit of secrecy about smaller issues in their relationship as a way of maintaining some kind of control. 

It's common, for example, for women to lie to their partners about how much money they have spent - even when they don't need to. 

It's not just a question of avoiding the inevitable row over the 'worth it' factor of a pair of killer heels, but of holding something back in order to maintain a sense of emotional independence, and to balance out the power we might feel our partner has in other aspects of the relationship. 

A recent survey by a leading building society also found that women are much more likely than men to have a 'secret' account with money their partner knows nothing about.

'My mother always used to say that you should never tell a man everything,' says Clare, 38, 'and I thought it was rubbish. I believed in total honesty.

'But now I agree with her. Why explain yourself over every little thing? Why have a huge row over something he needn't even know about? I never tell him about my girlfriends' secrets, because he'd be judgmental and disapproving. 

Women are better liars because they're more psychologically sophisticated

'I don't have a secret account, but I'm not completely honest about how much money I spend. If he doesn't know, he doesn't miss it.' 

Harmless? Maybe. But it's easy to see how a climate of withholding and keeping smaller secrets can easily lead to bigger ones.

'Women are better liars because they're more psychologically sophisticated,' says Dr Holmes. 'You can argue about whether it's nature or nurture, but women are programmed to be much more relationship and people orientated than men. 

'Emotionally, they make plans and have strategies, while men are more impulsive.' 

From a young age, he says, women will start to consider the kind of life they want, what kind of job or house they aspire to, how many children they'd like and what kind of partner. 

'Most men don't really develop that facility until they're much older. They live, psychologically, in the moment, while women think around corners and two steps ahead.' 

Hillary stood by Bill Clinton when he had an affair, if it had been the other way around, would he have done the same?

We're also better at mental multi-tasking. 'You can keep all the different strands of a lie in your minds, remember them and make them convincing.' 

Men lie, too, but they are much more likely to forget something, or make a mistake and get caught out. 

When men have affairs, he says, they tend to be bigger risk-takers and naïve about how obvious their cheating is to an emotionally astute partner. They will also be bursting to tell someone about it. 

'Men have more "trophy affairs" than women. They will often want to brag about it, or be so taken up by the sexual thrill of the affair that their behaviour is a giveaway.'

Women, on the other hand, are much more cool and rational, even when they're in the grip of passion. 

'It's a myth that they're more romantic. They may confide in one or two very close women friends, but they compartmentalise their emotional lives and don't let the affair bleed into the rest of their lives.' 

Like Farrah Fawcett, a former colleague of mine, Susan, now 50, had a long-term affair with Brian, a salesman she met, ironically enough, when she was buying her husband a car as a surprise 40th birthday present. 

'I was clear from the start that I'd never leave my husband and family. Brian kept me sane during some of the tougher years of my marriage, but he was strictly for snatched afternoons off and the odd "working weekend" away,' she says. 

Susan adds: 'We made each other laugh and our sex life was wonderful. But Brian was a permanent "man-child" - a great lover, but not the kind of man you'd marry. 

'He was always overdrawn, always teetering on the edge of some crisis that he'd just laugh off. I never wanted to live with him.' 

The affair ended amicably after eight years, with her husband none the wiser. 

Cheating is never pretty, but lying about it doesn't necessarily make it worse. Often, our lies are meant to shield our partners and families from pain. We tell ourselves that if nobody knows, nobody gets hurt. 

Dr Holmes says: 'Often, women keep the secret because they're much more conscious of how much there is to lose, and to protect the other people involved. If she has children, she'll be especially careful that they aren't hurt in any way by the knowledge of what she's doing.' 

If you asked unfaithful men if they think their wives or girlfriends have had affairs, too, they will be shocked at the very thought

Like my friend Juliet, who has become so good at lying to her husband that she surprises even herself.

'Adrian and I have drifted apart, but he's a nice man, a good father. He doesn't deserve to be hurt, and I have no intention of letting my son grow up without his father.' 

Biologically, too, women are programmed to be more careful about revealing an infidelity. 

In purely evolutionary terms, men are programmed to sleep with lots of women, and women are programmed to attract and retain a quality mate. 

Dr Holmes adds: 'She will be very canny and keep her options open until she decides which of the men she is going to choose.' 

Another reason women lie more about their affairs is simply that they can get away with it. 

Historically, a man has put a higher value on the fidelity of his woman because he needs to be sure that any children she has are really his. 

This seems to produce a strange kind of emotional blindness in many men, once they've selected a partner to settle down with. 

'Whenever we question men about fidelity,' says Dr Holmes, 'they will very often admit to their affairs. 

'But if you then ask the same men if they think their wives or girlfriends have had affairs, too, they will be shocked at the very thought, or laugh and call it ridiculous.' 

In other words, men want to think women don't cheat, and women want men to think they don't cheat. No wonder we're better at secret affairs.