The best liars keep things simple. After all, when you begin practising the art of deception, you can easily end up in a tangled web, lost in your own lies.
But simplifying your lies is easier said than done. One lie begets another. Entire backstories need to be prepared and remembered. New fabrications might be required at a moment’s notice depending on where the line of questioning goes.
No wonder, experts say, that in the process of lying our brains are under serious cognitive load. In other words, we’re having to think hard and fast.
“If you’re telling a high-stakes lie, you’ve normally practised it – you’ve thought about your lie, you’re trying to remember what you’ve said in case you’re asked again, so you can repeat it,” says Dr Sharon Leal, a psychologist at the University of Portsmouth.
“You’re monitoring your own behaviour and trying not to look nervous, trying to look the person straight in the eye. You’re monitoring the person you’re lying to for signs that they’re on board – or not.
