9 Tips To Get Away With Lying Like A Real Spy

We do it all the time. Sometimes we lie to get away with big mistakes that can have grave implications. But most of the time, they are white lies that are harmless and will not hurt anyone other than your persona.

Even though there are people who self-declare themselves as haters of liars, the fact is that lying is part and parcel of life.

People do it to:

• create humor
• be cute
• get away from long-winded answers that are immaterial
• side-step uncomfortable conversations
• avoid prison
• etc

The irony is that even as human instincts make us lie on a daily basis, many of us are still amateurs at lying. I’m not an expert. But here are some tips that can “up” your game at lying. Maybe they can help you get out of a bad spot one day.

1) Keep your fake answers short

The more you talk, the more information you disclose. And the more likely that you will reveal things that don’t add up.

And the more you talk to proclaim your innocence, the more desperate you look to present your case. That can trigger suspicion from people who have a sixth-sense for lies.

Let’s look at it this way. If someone is to wrongly accuse you of a ridiculous bad deed you did, are you even going to enter those questions of accusation? No, you will likely brush them off as nonsense in a few words. This is the response that you are trying to replicate.

2) Look them in the eye

One of best giveaways that someone has something to hide is a lack of eye-contact.

It’s not a sure sign of guilt, but it is a sign that there is something more than meets the eye (how did this pun get in here). This can prompt your accuser to probe and dig deeper by firing more questions at you. And if you are not careful, you might give yourself away when answering questions on rapid-fire.

Since we are on the topic of eyes, also make it a point not to roll your eyes to the left of right. There are research conducted that conclude people look to the left when accessing facts, while looking right to get creative.

But if you want to be a professional liar, you don’t want to look in either direction because that shows accuser that you are thinking before giving an answer. Take note of this as we tend to choose a direction unconsciously. Meaning, you will have to consciously do it.

If you have nothing to hide and have nothing to do with what you are lying about, you’d just declare your innocence without an extra thought.

3) Don’t smile

Smiling is a very common act when telling white lies.

I think because there is a funny element to white lies, we unconsciously smile a little because a part of us want to get caught in the lie.

Well… this is fine if the truth you are hiding is totally harmless.

But if you want to absolutely nail it, you must prevent yourself from smiling. This is one of those things that is easy to say but hard to act on.

To aid yourself from giving yourself away, think about your credit card bill when selling your lie.

4) Keep your hands away from your face

Another sign of liars is that they tend to touch their face when doing the deed. Common areas include:

• nose
• mouth
• chin
• mustache and beard
• eyebrows

Body language is a form of communication that most people implicitly understand but cannot put into words. And most people can get that feeling that they are dealing with a liar when the accused is touching his face.

5) Relax

It goes without saying that any sign of tension on your body or facial expression can be a dead giveaway that something is not right.

Some of the easiest sign of tension include:

• crossed arms
• stammering
• leaning away (not to be confused with leaning back)
• fidgeting
• shaking legs
• scratching any part of the body
• Stretching any muscle group
• clenching teeth

These physiological effects can be hard to control when the urge to do them comes up. It’s a good thing that many of them can be hidden.

For example, clenching your teeth can be tough to detect unless you turn sideways and reveal the muscles on your neck.

The more obvious signs of nervousness are your hands and your posture. If anything, keep your body upright (not uptight) and lean back on your chair. And just leave your arms on your sides if you are standing.

6) Deliberately stack an innocent lie on top of your lie

This is the classic tactic of removing objections before objections are raised.

Unless you are a highly trained spy, you are hardly going to be 100% convincing. So a good way to navigate this potential problem is to add a white lie into your main lie. This is so that when you are truly caught lying, you can claim that the lie is the white lie.

For example, if you lied about having fed the dog when you actually didn’t, you might add a little nugget of information regarding you having trimmed the garden before feeding the dog. And when you are cornered with lying, you can escape the tensed situation by admitting that “Alright, I did not trim the garden. You got me. But I did feed the dog.”

This lying trick can do wonders. And often time, can magically diffuse any suspicions laid on you.

Firstly, you are now telling a truth and your body language starts adjusting accordingly. Secondly, your accuser starts rationalizing that your suspicious behavior was due to the garden lie. And thirdly, it is sort of a pattern interrupt that alleviates the moment of reckoning.

Use this strategy freely.

7) Fight back by reminding them of your wisdom

You don’t have to open yourself up to attacks… especially when you are “not” the culprit.

The last thing an accuser expects when confronting someone who is the culprit in their minds is to encounter a counterattack. But a the same time, a fiery counterstrike can raise more questions about why you are so hepped up if you are innocent.

So the best response is to counter an accusation with wisdom statements like “I told you not to leave your things lying around in the office”.

Responses like these deflects the attention from the main topic. In fact, it communicates to the accuser that you are not lying and hardly have time to prove your innocence as innocence is implied.

The accuser might even run from you just so as to avoid a telling off for not listening to your wisdom previously.

8) Envision and practice the lie in your head

 

The easiest way to uncover a liar is to ask multiple questions quickly. A regular liar will eventually crack.

There was a study that categorized lies into 2 categories:

1. false descriptions
2. false denials

False descriptions are completely fabricated stories that include details of everything. While false denials are simple “Yes” and “No” responses when questioned.

The reason why most people crack when being on the receiving end of rapid-fire questions is because they cannot make up stories fast enough to verbalize them.

The only way to not just get away from such tests, but to pass with flying colors is to visualize your lies as if you really did them. Take in all the details and anticipate what questions will be asked. Then decide what you answers will be before being put through such an interrogation by your wife.

Stick to the answers you have decided and you should be able to breeze through.

9) Lay the blame on an untouchable

Laying the blame on someone else is probably the most common tactic used in everyday life.

It is one of the easiest to execute. And is very effective in many situations when you are caught lying.

For example, maybe you didn’t pick up the groceries because you chose to go to the pub for a cold one instead. A tongue lashing from your wife beckons when you get back home.

Instead of lying by saying you forgot about it, you can get away from it more easily by blaming a friend who gave you a ride home and took a route that couldn’t drop you off at the supermarket.

Your wife couldn’t really fault your “friend” for his graciousness in giving you a life. And she could blame you as you were not the driver. The most probably effect is that she will let it slide. And of course, this is a “friend” or “colleague” she has never met. Just remember to pick up those groceries the next day.