Rules of the Game (44 page)

Type of Routine:
Value Demonstration/Magic

Difficulty Level:
5/10

Success Rate:
81.3%

Saturation:
0%

Comments:
“This can be used as an opener if you choose to. Simply say, ‘Hey guys, can I borrow you a sec? I'm trying to show my friend this thing because he doesn't believe it works.' This usually started some playful touching afterward as the girl kept trying to find out how I did it.”—Symphonie

Origin:
I was at Jerry's Diner in Los Angeles teaching a friend some of these value demonstrations. As we were talking, the manager, Mike, came by, and we started discussing game. After I explained the basics to him, he said he wanted to show us something he had learned in high school. He whispered a few words to my friend, and then this is what he did.

YOU
: You know what's interesting? People leave energy behind wherever they go. Like, if you touch something, you leave a sort of psychic imprint.

HER
: Really?

YOU
: I'll give you an example. I'm going to gather some items on the table. [
As you talk, arrange six different items
—
such as a cell phone, keys, a crumpled
napkin, and so on
—
in three rows of two on the table. The arrangement should look like the six on a die
.] When I leave the room, touch any object and I'll be able to tell which one you chose by feeling the energy on it. In fact, if you want, you don't even have to touch it. Just hold your hand briefly above the object.

Type of Routine:
Value Demonstration

Difficulty Level:
5/10

Success Rate:
75%

Saturation:
3.4%

Comments:
“Although on paper this looks complicated, it went really well. Watching Derren Brown videos on YouTube, as well as searching Google for NLP and eye movement articles, gave me a greater understanding of the routine and more things to talk about. With the popularity of TV shows like
Lie to Me
, a couple people said they knew this, but I just told them this was more accurate.”—Diamond

Origin:
One of the hundred-plus books I read while studying social dynamics was
Never Be Lied to Again
by David Lieberman. At the time, I was interviewing the singer Carly Simon for the
New York Times
, and during the conversation I suggested she read the book. A week later, she called and said she'd bought ten copies. “So you really liked it?” I asked. She replied: “I didn't read it. I just bought a bunch of copies and gave them to all my friends, so they'd be too scared to lie to me.” That conversation set off an exploration into more clever and subtle ways to spot lies, leading to this routine.

YOU
: You know, there's a way you can always figure out whether or not someone is telling the truth. It's good to know, because if your boyfriend comes home late one night and says, “I was out bowling with the guys,” you can bust him on the spot if he's lying.

THEM
: I'd love to know that.

YOU
: Okay, we'll need one of you to be the liar then. Hmm, you seem right for that. So here's what we're going to do …

YOU
: Watch for a change in her eye movements as she's answering each question.

YOU
: Okay, do you have a brother or a sister?

LIAR
: [
Answers the question
.]

YOU
: Okay, choose one of them. [
If she doesn't have a sibling, have her choose her car or her bedroom
.] So for this test, you're going to think of five facts about your brother. Don't say them out loud, just think them. But don't think about each fact until I tell you to. I'll say “one,” then think the first fact. When I say “two,” think the second fact. And so on. Ready?

LIAR
: Okay.

YOU
: And make one of the five facts a lie. [
Give her this piece of information at the last minute, so that she doesn't think of the lie in advance
]. Okay, one [
pause to give her time to think
]. Two [
pause
]. Three [
pause
]. Four [
pause
]. Five [
pause
].

YOU
: Okay, which one do you think was a lie?

GROUP
: Definitely number three.

YOU
: I'd say either number one or number three. [
Consider giving two answers, just to increase the odds that you're correct
.]

HER
: It's totally number one. How did you know?

YOU
: When people remember things, they go to one part of their brain to access the information. But when they make things up, they go to a different part of their brain. And I could tell when you lied by looking for the variation in your eye movement, which meant you were getting information
from the creative part of your brain instead of the place where you keep your memories.

YOU
: Wow, you're a good liar. I could never date you. Fortunately, there are two other ways to tell when people are lying. One is to see if they break eye contact. Usually, liars know that they need to keep eye contact while they're telling a lie, but they'll often immediately look away afterward. The other way is—here, I'll just show you quickly. Let's choose someone else this time. [
Select someone else in the group
.] Okay, tell me three things you did yesterday—say them out loud—and make one of them a lie.

YOU
: That's the third way. You just ask lots of rapid-fire questions, the way they do when you're going through Customs. The answers don't matter. Just keep firing off questions until they trip up. Like she just did.

Type of Routine:
Playful Game

Difficulty Level:
3/10

Success Rate:
87.5%

Saturation:
0%

Comments:
“I didn't receive as many negative responses as I was initially anticipating. The routine seemed to hook well and everyone had something to say about it. I was weary of the gun to the head option, but I didn't notice any negative feelings toward it. I was also surprised by how many girls accepted the offer at one million dollars. One guy said he'd have sex with Fat Bastard for a happy meal.”—Pendragon

Origin:
I was having dinner with a friend named Kendra, and one of my favorite things to do when I'm bored (sorry, Kendra) is to ask people—in a fun, nonjudgmental way—what they would do for money. So for some reason, I ended up asking how much money she'd require in order to agree to sleep with Fat Bastard from the Austin Powers movies. I was surprised by her answer. Not only would she not do it for a hundred million dollars, but she said she'd rather die than sleep with him.

YOU
: I'm curious about something. Do you know that character Fat Bastard from the Austin Powers movies?

HER
: Yes.

YOU
: If someone came up to you and said they'd give you a million dollars if you slept with a guy who looked like Fat Bastard but ten times worse, would you do it?

HER
: No.

YOU
: Then would you do it for ten million dollars? Just once?

HER
: No way.

YOU
: What if it just lasted half an hour? You could think about other things and go to that special place in your mind. Then afterward, you'd have ten million dollars tax-free.

HER
: Maybe I could get him really drunk, and make him think we slept together or trick him somehow.

YOU
: No, you have to sleep with him.

HER
: Then no.

YOU
: Okay, how about a hundred million dollars? Think about it: one hundred million dollars in your bank account.

HER
: I still wouldn't.

YOU
: Come on. Even I'd sleep with Fat Bastard for a hundred million dollars.

HER
: I wouldn't do it.

YOU
: Really? What if no one else knew or would ever know, not even me?

HER
: Um… I don't know. I don't think I would. Maybe. I don't know.

YOU
: Okay, last question and then we'll talk about something boring, like the weather. What if someone put a gun to your head and told you, “Either you have sex with Fat Bastard or you die.” Which would you choose?

HER
: I'd try to escape.

YOU
: Hey, now, this is a hypothetical question. You don't have other options. Either you sleep with Fat Bastard or you die. What would you do?

HER
: [
Answer
.]

YOU
: Interesting. What's funny is that every guy I asked that question said he'd rather have sex with Fat Bastard than die, but half the women said they'd rather die. Why do you think that is?

Type of Routine:
Emotional Connection/Value Demonstration

Difficulty Level:
5/10

Success Rate:
89.7%

Saturation:
0%

Comments:
“While I found this a little more difficult to do than other routines, it was worth it. The first time I used it, I got a phone number. The woman really enjoyed the exercise and said she felt like she had learned something really cool about herself.”—Erehwon

Origin:
When I began learning Neuro-Linguistic Programming (or NLP), I was told to find out a woman's core value and trance words, and then to use her exact language to convince her to do things she might otherwise resist. I soon discovered, however, that it was more effective and ethical to practice NLP overtly instead of sneakily. So I turned the process that some therapists use to learn people's core motivating beliefs (known as eliciting values or EV) into a discussion that would teach them—and me—something about themselves. Today, I use this routine not just with women I meet but in almost every magazine interview I do. It's a great way to get to know someone very quickly.