One may sometimes tell a lie, but the grimace that accompanies it tells the truth.

Words take instruction. Your face does not. A statement can be arranged in advance, but the flinch that arrives with it was never rehearsed, and people read it without knowing they are reading it. That is why a convenient answer often lands badly and nobody can say quite why.

When something you are about to say makes you wince, treat the wince as information rather than a flaw to cover. Ask what answer your body would not argue with. It is usually shorter and less flattering, and it costs far less to keep up.