It can be difficult to tell if someone is lying, especially if they know how to do it very well, yet there are specific signs that let the deception leak out. Paying attention to body language, words, and reactions in certain situations can help you find out if someone is lying.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Observe her Body Language
Step 1. Notice if the person has any tics, such as scrubbing or fixing something
Many liars are gripped by a compelling need to straighten their hair, line a pen on a desk, or push a chair towards a table. These actions can indicate that the person is lying.
Step 2. Notice if the person clears their throat or swallows
A person who lies may clear his throat or swallow more frequently when answering a question.
Step 3. Observe if the person continuously touches their face with their hands
While many liars manage not to be restless, others may touch their faces nervously. Under stress from being forced to fabricate a story from scratch, the liar may feel a certain level of anxiety. This can even cause blood loss, for example from the ears, and at other times it can cause tickling or other sensations. The person will then feel the need to touch their ears or scratch.
Step 4. See if the lips are pressed firmly against each other
Liars often keep their lips tightly closed when they are not telling the truth. Sometimes this lip movement can mean that the liar is very focused on making up his lie.
Step 5. Notice if the blinking decreases
Lying requires a greater expenditure of cognitive energy, as the liar has to concentrate more by exercising his mental energy. People tend to blink less frequently when they consume a lot of cognitive energy, so if you think a person is lying check their blinking as well.
The same thing can be said for agitation. People often become less agitated when they exercise high cognitive function, for example in situations where they lie, because they strive to maintain greater self-control
Step 6. Check the movement of his body
Many people tend to be extremely still when they lie. Some believe it is a reaction to a threatening situation: as if preparing for a fight, the body remains stationary, ready to fight.
Part 2 of 3: Pay Attention to the Language You Use
Step 1. Listen to the words the person chooses to communicate
Language, in a fictional story, usually becomes more impersonal. The liar may decrease the use of first person words, such as "I", "me" and "mine", or may avoid pronouncing people's names, instead using words like "he" and "she" more frequently.,
Step 2. Observe deviations in speech
When you ask questions of a person who is lying, he may divert the conversation to take him somewhere else, go straight to another topic, or answer the questions with other questions.
Step 3. Notice if he keeps repeating the same words and phrases
The liar often repeats the same things, as if he wanted to convince himself to believe his lie as well. On the other hand, it is possible that certain repeated words or phrases are part of a false speech studied at a desk.
The liar may also repeat the same question you asked him, as if he wanted to take time to find the right answer
Step 4. Notice if the sentences are incomplete or broken
Often the liar first begins to give an answer, then stops, then starts over but does not complete the sentence. This may indicate that he is continually finding holes in his story and is trying to cover up his mistakes.
Step 5. Find out when a person corrects what they say
When the liar tries to construct and package his fictional story, he often makes spontaneous corrections to try to make it coherent. If you frequently notice this type of behavior in the person in front of you, it is likely that he is telling you a false story.
Step 6. Pay attention to gaps and paucity of details
Liars often leave out those details that are indicators of the veracity of a story. It is more difficult to keep in mind and remember the details and minutiae, so liars usually prefer to omit them.
- The truth teller can even describe what the background music was in a given situation, while the liar will likely omit this detail, leaving the story vague, so that he can easily remember only those details that are convenient for him to tell.
- Additionally, the details a liar relates can be inconsistent, so pay attention to the details of the story he tells.
Part 3 of 3: Pay Attention to His Reactions
Step 1. Notice if the person's face fully displays emotions
When a person fakes an emotion, often his facial expression betrays him, because one part of the face does not convey the same emotion as the other part. For example, if someone pretends to smile, see if the expression of the eyes is consistent with that of the lips. Similarly, if a person pretends to cry, is the expression of the eyes consistent with that of the mouth and chin?
Step 2. Ask questions that the person cannot predict
Often the liar constructs his story in order to anticipate the questions that may be asked. In a surprise move, ask him an unexpected question, for which he may not have the answer ready.
For example, if the person tells you that they went to eat at a particular restaurant, they might expect you to ask them about food, waiters, or the bill, but they might not expect you to ask them where the bathroom was
Step 3. Read the facial microexpressions
These minimal facial movements reveal a person's true feelings. These are very rapid and almost imperceptible emotions, which sometimes last a very small fraction of a second.
Microexpressions indicate an emotion, but they don't necessarily provide clues as to why the person is experiencing that emotion. For example, a person who lies may show fear because they are afraid of being discovered, but a sincere person may show the exact same emotion because they fear that they will not be believed
Step 4. Note inconsistencies between the verbal and the non-verbal
Sometimes a person says one thing but his body reacts in the opposite way, unintentionally denying it. For example, the person answers yes to a question, but at the same time involuntarily shakes his head in denial.
