How to Be a Human Lie Detector

Whether it's a social or professional situation, usually your gut will tell you if the person you're talking to is being dishonest. Once you've reached this point, rather than merely confront or accuse the person, it's best to allow the conversation to continue to extract more information and take note of the following traits that are almost universal in any liar to make certain that you're dealing with lies before you openly accuse.

First of all, notice the body language - eye contact is the most obvious trait of a liar. A dishonest person will very rarely make eye contact or struggle to do so. Also, any physical expression such as hand gestures will be non-existent or very limited, mechanical and deliberate in nature. Also, hand movements are usually limited to covering his or her ear or tugging or scratching the ear lobe or running the hands along the pant legs. If the person is aware of this, they may shrug every now and then to counteract it.

Emotionally, the lying individual will usually be expressionless until after the statement. Rather than combine facial expressions and words naturally, the individual says something than has to stop and think about which facial expression to match the chosen word. Also, the expressions are usually limited to the mouth area as the facial muscles are tensed up.

The verbal expressions of the liar usually do not match the physical ones. Try and read the non-verbal ques to bypass the liar's tongue. For instance a frown after a statement like "that's funny" or "I love you" is an obvious indicator that they are going against the grain. Also, any emotional gestures or signs will linger on longer than usual, indicating an extra effort to feign being honesty.

When it comes down to confronting the individual about their dishonesty, even subtly, the liar will almost always go on the defensive, whereas the honest person if accused of lying will almost always go on the offensive. The liar will do anything to avoid facing the accuser, and if sitting will usually slouch down in their chair. He or she may even physically distance him or herself or even align physical objects such as pillows or objects on a table between the accuser and themselves.

Verbally, the liar usually stonewalls by indicating that "they won't go there" or will try and change the subject. The attitude of not budging shows defensiveness that indicates that there is leeway in the conversation and holes can be poked in his or her argument to help expose the lie. An honest person has no problem continuing down different paths during the conversation, feeling no anxiety because they have nothing to hide.

Also, the deceiver will usually preamble his or her statements with rehearsed responses to try and show disdain for dishonesty or for the the fact or issue he or she doesn't want you to believe. Also, the answers do not come quick or instinctual, there is usually a pause of deep thought to carefully craft a response coming from a feeling of being guarded.

These are just basic ques to look for that are clear signs of lying. They are based on an essay that goes into more exhaustive detail called.

Never Be Lied To Again

By David J. Lieberman, Ph.D.

St. Martin's Press, New York 1998