How To Be A Better Liar - Tips For Telling Lies - Cosmopolitan

Let’s face it: Tossing off a convincing lie is a skill, one that every person should master. That’s not to say you should go full scammer on your life. Seriously, don’t make this your entire lifestyle, because that would be totally insane. But in case of emergency—like that Tinder date who said they love living at home—you can hack your body language to make that I-have-an-early-morning fib believable. It’s fine! It’s just a fib! Here, we tell you the different ways your body is betraying you, courtesy of body-language expert Blanca Cobb.

Eyes

The fail

Some people think the key to lying is eye contact, so they end up doing it reeeally intensely—like, staring-contest level. Nope (also, creepy).

Your fix

Where your eyes go doesn’t really matter. So feel free to look around the room as usual while you tell Jackie you thought those were community Doritos.

Mouth

The fail

A finger on the lip or cupping your mouth is a dead giveaway.

Your fix

We know you’re a pro at double-fisting, so do it as you tell that frat brah you’ve got a boyf.

Hands

The fail

If you’re a hand talker—as in, you physically demonstrate how tall last night’s Hinge date was—you’ll probably get even more animated while bullshitting.

Your fix

Remain calm and employ your normal level of gesturing while making an excuse to skip that one friend of a friend’s birthday party. Worried about hand control? Try the hands-in-pockets trick.

Stance

The fail

Backing or turning away from the person you’re fibbing to happens because you’re trying to distance yourself from what you just said. So. Meta.

Your fix

If you catch yourself moving backward while telling your boss you’re way too sick to work from anywhere but bed the rest of the day, stop right where you are. Stay there and endure the awkward.

Feet

The fail

The fidgety things you do when you’re anxious, like tapping your toes and shuffling your feet, are no bueno.

Your fix

Take a seat as you weave a web of (probs worth it) lies. It’s harder to unknowingly speak weird body language when your legs and arms can only move so much.

The bottom line

Take a sec right now to assess how you’re sitting and what your body language looks like. Pay attention next time you talk to someone too. That, my friend, is your new Stealth Liar Posture. Learn it. Love it. Live it.