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WHAT IS ACTING?

Some synonyms for acting are drama and show business. It is the art of performance, usually of fictional roles.

While this is usually limited to film, the stage, or television, it is not outside of the ambit of human behavior for people to take acting into the real world. For whatever reason, to get someone’s romantic attention, to get out of trouble, to avoid responsibility, fake behavior, or acting, in the real world, has serious ramifications.

Just what is fake behavior, though?

 Intro to Fake Behavior

When people act they use speech and gestures, costumes and makeup, to portray a role. It is the same when someone displays fake behavior. People purport to be something they are not, for various motivations. The do this in various ways, and these means are determined by the context of the situation they find themselves in, or who they are speaking to.

What fake behavior is, is best described by the various signs of this behavior. Among these signs are the following:

• People who disappear when you need them the most
• People who party and drink with you on weekends, but are nowhere to be seen when you need them to help you with chore-like tasks
• People who claim never to get upset
• People who are unavailable perpetually
• People who constantly blow hot and cold to you
• People who are constantly trying to please everybody

Fake behavior can also be described as insincere behavior, therefore!

But just where does this type of behavior come from?

 Where It Comes From? (Conscious brain)

Unlike the automatic responses that are generally believed to be true behavior, which stem from the subconscious brain, fake behavior is a conscious creation. It has its roots in the conscious brain.

Why do we say this?

Well, it is because of the things fake people tend to do!

• They are extremely passive/aggressive. Nothing with them is ever as it seems, and any sort of confrontation usually causes them to retreat further into themselves
• They are always smiling, even when this is highly inappropriate
• They constantly make you feel inadequate in their presence
• They gossip, constantly, behind everybody’s back
• The compliments they give are usually backhanded

These behaviors are well-thought-out. It takes considerable effort, conscious effort, to smile all the time, to fabricate or carry tall tales about other people, to make backhanded compliments, and to perpetually put others down.

Your conscious brain is therefore responsible for fake behavior, and this behavior can be controlled.

 Can It Be Controlled? (Yes)

Yes, fake behavior can be controlled. This is because you decide to be insincere and ingenuous. You make up your mind to behave in this way, this fake way, based on what you need in the moment. And this moment need not be brief, also. Some people have the constant need to put themselves forward as something they are not, for whatever reasons, and so their fake behavior is really a perpetual behavior.

Three examples of this follow!

 Some Examples

The Pathological Liar

Lies have become an accepted part of our communication these days. But some people lie where there really is no reason for the fabrication. Pretending to be someone you are not, to have things that you don’t, or to be able to do things that you cannot, lead to a perpetual string of untruths.

People who tell these lies often have to cover up or augment the original lie with other lies. And the road is very dark, causing the liar to lose themselves completely in the lie. And when the liar believes the lie, they start to behave in a way that gives onlookers the impression that the lie is in fact truth.

The Thief

Stealing is a form of lying. Once you have stolen something, however, you have got to pretend that it wasn’t you. Your behavior changes, and you start to pretend. You pretend that you owned the stolen object, or that you are not in possession of said object. This makes you defensive and/or gregarious. You can find yourself either becoming reclusive or over the top, both signs that you are concealing the theft. Again, this is a well-thought-out response.

The Player

Men, and more and more women today seem to feel the need to be with as many people as possible. They do this for many reasons, insecurity, to prove virility, or even to get over a relationship. Whatever the reasons, where people don the mantle of a player, they tend to exhibit largely put on or fake behaviors.

Dress and makeup is different. They speak with feigned confidence. They become boastful in an attempt to make themselves seem more attractive. And at the end of it all, the player loses themselves in a game they really cannot win.

Fake behavior really breeds fake behavior, and this behavior becomes addictive. Therein lies the true danger of this, and also the danger of these people.

Conclusion

Fortunately, there are signs that you can look out for that will help you determine if a person is being fake. Dr. Paul Ekman, who did extensive research on the subject, says that it’s all in the eyes!

When a person smiles genuinely, the skin between the upper eyelids and between the eyebrows moves down, and in the corners of the eyes, tiny wrinkles appear, according to Ekman. While smiles are usually voluntary, therefore, the muscles used in a real smile are out of your control.

So, the smile can be a dead giveaway.

When a person is being less than genuine, they also battle to keep their story straight, and their micro-expressions, or those less than noticeable tiny gestures tend to pass too quickly. It is usually a sign of concealed emotions where these tiny gestures last for less than a 25^th of a second.

There is a saying that ‘you cannot fool all of the people all of the time’. This is good news for those of us who deal with fake behavior on a daily basis!

References

Madison Moore, thoughtcatalog.com/madison-moore/2013/01/10-signs-a-person-is-fake, (Jan 9, 2013)

Charlotte Green, thoughtcatalog.com/charlotte-green/2012/09/5-things-fake-people-do/, (Sep 4, 2012)

Tara Struyk, http://www.wisebread.com/5-signs-someones-being-fake, (Dec 1, 2014)

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