How to Tell when Someone Is Lying

If somebody is lying to you, this can be felt in your gut, as much as they are picking on you were it not for this fact. Experienced readers can tell when they are being lied to as of when a fact is contradicted by a different story. Spotting a liar is a delicate process but it is quite possible to do. When somebody claims to have nothing to do with something, you know that may be a lie if you feel they did something anyway, although it is best not to be paranoid since some people really are telling you the truth.

You see, a liar is counting on their victim believing the lie. According to Inc.com, a former FBI detective LaRae Quy has insights into the art of lying. Quy’s tips are: be a good cop more than a bad cop as a rapport is established. In order to blindside a liar, you have to surprise them. Listening to somebody talking more helps pin down the fact they are lying. Stress triggers people who are lying into talking faster, as stressed people start talking louder too. If somebody’s voice cracks right when they are telling a whopper, then you are catching them. Repetitive coughing or clearing the throat is one of the many signs that the person is lying to you. (Inc)

Quy’s method for reading people also involves how they say no. Saying “no” and looking in a different direction, saying no and closing their eyes, saying no after hesitating, saying no stretched over a long period of time, or saying no as if the phrase is said in a singsong way means somebody is lying to you. Other behaviors that indicate lying are the following: memory lapses, answering questions in a manner that is lacking in detail, with short answers. When a person begins speaking more formally, that’s a sign of stress, as well as saying that everything is “awesome,” another way to tell that somebody is lying.

When you ask for the story backward, you catch truthful people remembering facts while liars have a good memory for keeping the story the same. If you start at the end of the story while interrogating a truthful person, they will then explain what happened before that point. Somebody who agrees with all your opinions and laughs at your jokes, offering too much praise, is someone lacking in sincerity. When you ask specific, discerning questions you will be able to better “read,” liars.

If a liar sits across from you and uses an obstacle to get in the way, that person is definitely lying. When a liar puts their hand on a table, with their palms down, they are lying about stuff like other people’s intentions. Asking neutral questions can help soften the liar up so that you can watch if they shift their stance. Do they glance in one direction or the other? (Psychology Today)

Liars change in body language, facial instructions, eye movement, and sentence structure, although you have to establish a baseline while reading liars. Liars like pulling their body inward, to make themselves smaller on top of that even as the liar squirms because you caught them in the lie, making them feel uncomfortable at furthering their lies unless they are sociopathic, in which case, they will feel good about lying since that act reinforces their specialness. People who are lying change skin color, bite their lip, sweat, or blink rapidly. Liars also change the cadence of their speech, even while their sentences become more complicated as they are lying. Liars also stop talking about themselves and talk more about other people. Liars do strive to tell their lies while weaving a dangerous web of complexity made up of manipulation. To spot a liar, you have to trust your gut.

Works Cited

https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/an-fbi-agent-s-8-ways-to-spot-a-liar.html

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hope-relationships/201507/6-ways-detect-liar-in-just-seconds