Become A Better Liar By Creating A Fake Tell

Become A Better Liar By Creating A Fake Tell

Getting rid of your tells is hard to do, assuming you even know what they are. If you want to be a better liar, however, you can create a fake tell so others can’t figure out when you’re actually lying.

Photo by Alejandro Mallea.

A tell is a quirk most of us have that shows itself when we’re trying to lie to someone. It could be as subtle as an eye twitch, or as obvious as popping your knuckles. And once someone knows what your tell is, they can pretty much catch you anytime you try to lie to their face. One of our own commenters, zanmania, found a clever way around this, though:

Honesty was big in my house, and there was a lot of pressure to be 100% transparent, but I learned if I was caught in a lie right away, my parents wouldn’t get pissed, they’d just make fun of me for thinking I could get away with it. So I used to tell small white lies for no reason other than to get caught. Stupid inconsequential things, like saying I’d already taken the trash out. Then I’d stare for a second and crack a smile and they’d call me out and make fun of me. Over time, they learned how to “catch me in a lie” because I was so bad at it. So now if I want to get away with lying to them, all I have to do to get away with it is not smile.

The more inconsequential lies you can make to someone with your fake tell, the more you can prime them for a real lie. Be careful, though. You don’t want to do this too often because they will start to assume you’re always lying, and that’s counterproductive. Also, before you go making any real lies, make sure it’s worth it and that you’re ready to face the consequences if you get caught.

Lifehacker’s Evil Week highlights the dark side of life hacking. How you use that knowledge is up to you.


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