Everyone thinks they’re a master of deception until they're sitting in a circle of new coworkers or friends and the pressure hits. You need to come up with three things. Fast. Most people panic. They go with something boring like "I have a cat" or "I've been to Florida." Honestly? That is how you lose the room. If you want to actually play the game right, you need two truths and a lie good examples that blur the line between your real life and a total fabrication.
It’s about the "poker face" of the narrative. The best lies sound mundane. The best truths sound absolutely ridiculous. When you tell a group that you once accidentally ate a piece of a celebrity's birthday cake, they'll think you're making it up for attention. If you say you’ve never broken a bone, they’ll believe you—even if you’ve actually broken seven.
We’ve all been there. The icebreaker starts. Your heart rate ticks up just a bit. You want to be interesting but not "weird." You want to be believable but not forgettable. That’s a tough needle to thread.
Why Most People Fail at Two Truths and a Lie
The psychological trap of this game is that humans are naturally bad at lying on the spot. We tend to over-explain our lies. We add too much detail. "I went to France in 2014 and it rained the whole time and I lost my passport in a taxi." That’s a classic lie structure. It’s too defensive.
On the flip side, people make their truths too simple. If your truth is "I like pizza," nobody cares. It doesn't spark a conversation. The goal of using two truths and a lie good examples isn't just to win; it's to give people a "hook" to ask you questions afterward.
Expert liars—or rather, expert game players—know that the secret is in the layering. You want to pick truths that sound like they could be lies because they are slightly statistically improbable. You want a lie that is so boring it’s invisible.
The "Mild" Strategy: Good Examples for Work
Let's talk about the office. You can’t exactly tell your boss you were once arrested in Tijuana, even if it’s a great story. You have to keep it professional but engaging.
Think about your hobbies or weird domestic facts. Here is a set that usually works well:
I have never had a cavity in my life. I’ve run three marathons. I am a certified scuba diver.
Now, if you’ve actually run those marathons, people might assume that’s the lie because marathons are hard. But if you're a fit person, they might believe it. The "no cavities" one is a great truth because it’s a bit rare but totally possible. The lie should be the scuba diving. Why? Because it’s a common "bucket list" item that many people mean to do but haven't actually done.
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Another route for the workplace:
I speak three languages fluently. I once won a regional spelling bee. I have a twin brother.
If you don't have a twin, that is a fantastic lie. People often project "twin energy" onto others, or they'll spend the whole time looking at your face trying to see if you look like a "twin." It’s a distraction.
The "Wild" Strategy: High-Stakes Examples for Friends
When you're with friends, you can go deeper into the archives of your life. This is where you pull out the "I met a celebrity" or "I survived a disaster" stories.
Consider these:
I was an extra in a major Marvel movie. I’ve climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. I once spent a night in a haunted prison for a dare.
The trick here is the "extra" story. Everyone wants to believe someone they know was in a movie. If that’s your lie, keep it vague. If it’s your truth, have a specific (but short) detail ready for when they ask, like "Yeah, I was the guy in the blue shirt in the background of the cafe scene."
According to a study on deceptive communication by researchers at the University of Portsmouth, people are more likely to believe a lie if it contains "verifiable" types of details that aren't actually verified in the moment. This means using names of places or specific numbers makes a lie feel "heavy" and real.
Categories That Always Kill
If you're stuck, look at these specific buckets of your life. Most people have at least one weird fact in each.
1. Childhood and Family
- I was born in a different country than my parents.
- My grandfather was a minor league baseball player.
- I have 14 first cousins.
- I grew up on a farm with no internet.
2. Travel and Adventure
- I’ve been to every continent except Antarctica.
- I once got lost in a jungle for six hours.
- I have stayed in a hotel made entirely of ice.
- I’ve never been on a plane. (This is a huge lie or a shocking truth).
3. Food and Gross-Outs
- I’ve eaten fried tarantulas.
- I am deathly allergic to strawberries.
- I have never eaten a Big Mac.
- I once won a hot-dog eating contest in college.
How to Structure Your Two Truths and a Lie
Don't just blurt them out. The order matters.
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If you put the lie first, you’re often too nervous and your voice might pitch up. If you put it last, it feels like a "punchline," which is a dead giveaway. Most experts suggest placing the lie in the middle (the "sandwich" method) or making the first statement the lie so you can get it over with and relax into the two truths.
Let’s look at a "Travel" themed set of two truths and a lie good examples:
- I’ve hitchhiked across the entire country of Iceland.
- I’ve never seen the Grand Canyon.
- I accidentally walked into the wrong hotel room in Paris and found a wedding in progress.
If number one is the lie, it’s a good one because Iceland is trendy. People want to ask about it. If number two is the truth, it’s surprising because almost everyone has seen the Grand Canyon, or at least it feels that way. Number three sounds like a movie plot, which makes people skeptical. That’s the "noise" that hides your lie.
The Science of Spotting the Lie
It’s worth knowing how people will try to catch you. Dr. Paul Ekman, a pioneer in the study of emotions and facial expressions, notes that "micro-expressions" often give people away. However, in a casual game like this, people usually look for "verbal leakage."
If you are asked a follow-up question about your lie, do you start sweating? Do you say "um" more often?
One way to counter this is to base your lie on someone else's true story. If your best friend climbed Kilimanjaro, use that as your lie. Since you know the details of their trip, you can answer questions using their memories. It’s a bit "Inception," but it works.
Good Examples That Are Hard to Disprove
Some things are just hard for people to check. Physical traits or history are great for this.
- The "Double Jointed" trick: Claim you can do something physical (like touching your nose with your tongue) and then "try" but "fail" saying you’re out of practice. (Only do this if you actually can't do it and it’s your lie).
- The "Celebrity Connection": "My cousin is the drummer for [Insert Mid-Level Indie Band]." It’s too specific to be a common lie but too random to be easily debunked.
- The "Fear" Factor: "I am terrified of butterflies." It’s called lepidopterophobia. It’s a real thing. If you say it with a straight face, people usually won’t question it because it’s such a weird thing to lie about.
Avoiding the "Obvious" Traps
There are some two truths and a lie good examples that have become clichés. Try to avoid these unless they are 100% true and you have a really funny story to back them up:
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- "I’ve never broken a bone." (Everyone uses this).
- "I have a third nipple." (Too much information for an icebreaker).
- "I met [Super Famous Person] at a grocery store." (Sounds like a copy-paste lie).
- "I’ve never seen Star Wars." (We get it, you’re a rebel).
Instead, go for the "Specific Mundane."
"I have owned the same pair of socks for twelve years."
"I can name all the US Presidents in order, but only if I'm singing them."
"I once spent $400 on a vintage Pokémon card."
These are "human" stories. They feel like they belong to a real person with a real life.
Mixing the Format
Sometimes, you don't need three sentences. You can use objects or photos if you’re doing this virtually. Show three items and say two are yours and one is a stranger’s.
Or, try the "Reverse Two Truths."
Give two lies and one truth. This is much harder because you have to maintain two fictions at once. It’s a great way to spice up a game that’s getting stale.
Actionable Tips for Your Next Game
If you're heading into a meeting or a party where you know this is coming, don't wing it.
- Write them down. Literally. See how they look on paper. Do the two truths look "heavier" than the lie? Balance them out.
- Practice the lie. Say it out loud. If it feels clunky in your mouth, change the wording. "I’ve been to Japan" is easier to say convincingly than "I traveled to the island of Honshu in the Japanese archipelago."
- The "Shrug" Technique. When someone guesses your lie, don't immediately react. Shrug. Give a small "maybe" smile. Let the tension build.
- Use a "Half-Truth." The most effective lies are often 50% true. If you went to San Diego but didn't go to the Zoo, saying "I saw the pandas at the San Diego Zoo" is easy because you can still talk about the weather and the hotel and the flight.
The beauty of two truths and a lie good examples is that they reveal who we are—even when we're lying. They show what we value, what we find interesting, and how we want the world to see us.
Next time it’s your turn, don't settle for "I have a dog." Tell them you once won a regional unicycle race. Tell them you’ve never tasted a taco. Tell them you have a collection of antique spoons. Make them work for it.
To get started, look through your old photos on your phone. Find a weird moment—a strange meal, a blurry background of a concert, a trophy you forgot you had. Those are your truths. For your lie, just take one of those photos and change one key detail. That is how you create a narrative that no one can crack.