U of A researcher says good wingmen will fib for a friend

It could be called the wingman theory or the Barney Stinson principle (after the character played by Neil Patrick Harris on hit TV show "How I Met Your Mother"). A University of Alberta researcher says that -- like Barney, who spends much of his time trying to find his single friend a mate -- people are generally willing to help a friend protect or enhance his reputation or help him otherwise save face in a social situation.