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Some people have fainted for real before - but just how can you tell if someone has pretended to faint, or really fainted? Here is how.

  1. When you faint, your body doesn't have enough strength to bend its knees, so if the person fainting bends their knees, you can be pretty sure they are a faker.
  2. A regular fall wouldn't do this, since if they don't have enough strength to bend their knees, they wouldn't be able to move their hands.
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  3. If they think for a couple of seconds, they did indeed fake it. If they restate the question or don't use contractions when talking (ex: didn't, won't, aren't, etc.), they are probably faking as well.
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Tips

  • The doctor will be the one with the real answer, so it's best to ask him or her.
  • If they immediately fess up when you say you're calling the emergency services, don't actually make the call. You don't want to land in jail.
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Warnings

  • If you really can't tell the difference, just wait for the doctors to come. It's better to be safe than sorry when dealing with something this serious.
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About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 10 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 58,417 times.
84 votes - 45%
Co-authors: 10
Updated: December 23, 2023
Views: 58,417
Categories: Feigning Illness
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 58,417 times.

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