How to Pretend You Like a Gift You Really Hate
This year, you thought you made it easy for your partner to get you the necklace you wanted for Valentine's Day. You emailed him your Pinterest board, tried it on in front of him at the department store, and even "accidentally" left the browser open to your shopping bag on his computer — all he had to do was click "check out." But the day is now here, and you find yourself holding a wrapped box that's the entirely wrong shape to hold the jewelry of your dreams. It's too late to wonder where you went wrong — now's the time to sharpen your acting skills.
While you can't always control how you feel about a gift you get, you can definitely make everyone think that you love it. "That's the best thing about non-verbal communication — you can override how you handle certain situations so your body doesn't give your true feelings away," explains Joe Navarro, a former FBI agent and author of international bestseller What Every Body is Saying. Do these five things when you open a gift to avoid any hurt feelings, then go out and buy yourself that necklace (...because you deserve it).
1. Say "This Is So Nice, Thank You."
Sure, you might rather scream out, "Really? This is what you got me? You have no taste!!" as you remove an electric toothbrush (sigh) from the box — but just say "Thank you," instead. To be fair, maybe you did mention that you wanted to get one of these, he just didn't realize you meant on a casual Sunday trip to CVS, not as a present. When you do say thank you, make sure you have the right tone of voice. "Consider how you respond when you're happy," Navarro says. "My daughter's voice actually goes deeper when she's happy to receive something, but if you're one of the Kardashians, the pitch of your voice will go really high."
2. Give a Big Smile
Smiles are a universal sign of happiness, so definitely do not skip this step. While they're easy to fake, a false smile can appear super plastic. "Genuine smiles engage your eyes so they start to squint," Navarro says. "We reserve these for when we are truly happy."
3. Arch Your Eyebrows and Flash Your Eyes
This might sound like a hard expression to force — if you raise your eyebrows too high, they can make you look surprised or even confused when you open your present. But done correctly, this behavior is one of the more subtle ways we show excitement, and it goes far when trying to prove happiness. "Picture running into a friend you haven't seen in a while," Navarro explains. "Your eyebrows arch upwards and your eyes flash in a way that's reserved for someone or something you really care about." Making this gesture when you open a gift gives your "Wow, I love it," some visual credibility.
4. Hold the Gift Close to Your Chest
"We tend to grab and hold things we cherish dearly closer," Navarro says. "By doing this,we communicate just how much we like it." On the other hand, if you quickly put the gift aside or pass it to someone else to hold onto, it gives the impression that the item doesn't have any value to you. Even if you don't like the gift, your partner spent a lot of time picking it out, so hold on to it for a few minutes after unwrapping to let him know you appreciate it.
5. Repeatedly Look at the Item
Fine, you don't have to swoon over an electric toothbrush all afternoon, but when you first open it, look at it while you're smiling, arching your brows, and flashing your eyes. This will reinforce the idea that you cherish it (even though you don't). "The essence is to mimic the behaviors we normally use when we're excited about something," Navarro says. Because you know you will be actually smiling when you get the necklace you reallywanted.
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