Top 10 Ways to Being a Good Liar

Lisa Franchi March 08, 2013

Everybody knows that lying is a bad thing and generally frowned upon and in some circumstances even against the law. Lying is a skill critical to survival. Sometimes, we choose to lie because it makes us feel ‘free’ in a way they are not when they say the truth. Admit it – you have lied once, twice or maybe multiple times in your life! But you did it not because you want to hurt others, but because you knew it was the right thing to do.

Today, we’ll talk about the best ways to become an effective liar. NOTE: You either use this to spot a good liar or become one yourself. Remember, lying can be good or bad depending on the situation.

· Make sure it’s worth the effort. Whenever possible, lie as little as you can. You don’t want to be labelled a ‘bad liar’. Lie if you have something to gain, and if it’s not going to do greater harm to other people. Effective liars select the time and situation when deciding to lie. They lie not because they want to, but they have to.

· Plan ahead. To be a good liar, you want to appear confident when you say it. In the study by psychologist Bill Flanagan, it was found that lairs who worked out the details of their stories beforehand had significantly more success than those who hadn’t.

· Study your target’s profile. Not all lying strategies work for everybody. You’ve got to know your target and study how you could connect to him or her. This way, you can increase your chance of making your lie effective. Your goal is to stray that person from being suspicious.

· Practise makes perfect. The hardest part of lying is making sure every detail of your story is consistent with the rest. So just like preparing for a speech, you have to prepare and practise your statement – how you are going to tell your story and how you will respond to possible ‘follow-up’ questions. If you have to say the lie to different people, make sure your story is completely the same. Or else, they can get suspicious once they compared the details you’ve told each one of them!

· Give your lie a strain of truth. The hardest lies to detect are those that aren’t completely lies at all but truths that contain fabricated details. It’s like you are telling the truth but your statement leaves a false impression.

· Pay attention to your behaviour. Many people are able to spot a liar just by looking at their gestures. Basically, people who are simply making up stories tend to tatter, touch their noses, become uneasy, and break eye contact. So along with the details of your story, practise your gestures. Look at your target straight in the eye and tell your story as if it is the truth.

· Learn how to manipulate your target. When your target is starting to become suspicious, it’s important that you know how to divert his or her attention and focus on your story, removing any doubt. Using sexual or emotional arousal to beat someone else’s suspicion can be very useful.

· Have your target take charge of the guilt. Another effective lying strategy, especially when the person you’re lying to is already becoming suspicious, is to put back the suspicion on them. Just as most people are uncomfortable telling lies, they can also be uncomfortable being accused. It’s another way to distract them from doubting.

· Believe in yourself. To deceive others, you’ve got to believe that you can actually deceive them. Lack of confidence in telling a lie is likely to reflect on your actions and it only takes one false gesture for people to know you’re lying!

· Avoid interrogations. Less talk, much better. Saying as little as possible in response to interrogations or follow-up questions will save you from getting caught.

Dear Readers,

In what way does lying positively help you deal with day to day situations? What are the things you usually do to avoid being caught in a lie?

Share your comments below!