How to Feign Interest

Whether you’re trying to keep your boss or your loved one happy, everyone has to feign interest at some point. Stop getting caught nodding off or yawning and start making someone believe you care!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Read their voice cues. If they’re excited about something, wait for a pause in the conversation and throw in a “Yeah,” “Of course,” or an “I hear ya!” If you get caught agreeing with something that they were actually upset about, then say “No, I meant ‘Yeah, that sucks.’” If they’re angry about something, say, “No way!” If you misread their anger, then say, “No, I meant ‘No way, that’s awesome!’”

2. Nod as much as possible with a very empathetic face on.

3. Focus on their eyes. If you can’t listen, at least you can maintain eye contact.

4. Bring other people into the conversation to take the heat off of yourself trying to follow what they are talking about. Such as, “You gotta tell Bob this story!”

5. Hum a song in your head to make the time go by faster.

Tips & Warnings

• Don’t ask leading questions. The last thing you want is for them to go on longer.

[grouch]

on 12/20/2007 Wonderful tunes that we all come up with to pass the time away when someone has too many words for us. And I thought I was the only one who did that.

[gpcs]

on 11/24/2007 By any chance do you have a know-it-all drone on forever friend who thinks he has the most fascinating life in the world to the exclusion of anyone else contributing to the conversation? (Ironically, all mine ever does is sit on the couch and watch tv all day...
-George