The Power Is in Your HandsIntentional Use of the Palms to DeceiveSome people ask, 'If I tell a lie and keep my palms visible, will
people be more likely to believe me?' The answer is yes - and no.
If you tell an outright lie with your palms exposed, you might
still appear insincere to your listeners because many of the other
gestures that should also be visible when displaying honesty are
absent and the negative gestures used during lying will appear
and will be incongruent with the open palms. Con artists and
professional liars are people who have developed the special art
of making their non-verbal signals complement their verbal lies.
The more effectively the professional con artist can use the body
language of honesty when telling a lie, the better he is at his job.Will you still love me when I'm old and grey?' she asked, palms
visible.'Not only will I love you,' he replied, 'I'll write to you.'The Law of Cause and Effect
It's possible, however, to appear more open and credible by
practising open palm gestures when communicating with
others. Interestingly, as the open palm gestures become habit-
ual, the tendency to tell untruths diminishes. Most people find
it difficult to lie with their palms exposed because of the law
of cause and effect. If a person is being open they'll expose
their palms, but just having their palms exposed makes it dif-
ficult for the person to tell a convincing lie. This is because
gestures and emotions are directly linked to each other. If you
reel defensive, for example, you're likely to cross your arms
across your chest. But if you simply cross your arms you'll
begin to experience defensive feelings. And if you are talking
with your palms exposed it puts even more pressure on the
other person to be truthful too. In other words, open palms
can help to suppress some of the false information others may
tell and encourage them to be more open with you.