8 Types of Liars

Some liars want you to believe that they are masterminds at disguising themselves but the truth is, they are not. If you pay attention carefully, you'll be able to tell if a person is lying based on their subtle body-language movements and how an individual speaks to you. This is what I learned from the book 'Read People Like A Book: How to Speed-Read People, Analyze Body Language, and Understand Emotions’ by Discover Press.

Types of Liars

1. The distractor

Often I hear the saying, no response, is a response. This saying is true for liars that choose not to answer your question when approaching them. The distractor will throw you off course, often speaking out of context. These types of liars do this to see if you’ll be satisfied with their response. They are aware that they are lying but attempt to cover it up with a new topic to discuss.

There are many examples of this. You can directly ask someone about something, and the person can ignore your question by changing the entire route of the conversation. If you are deceived, you won’t realize the conversation has gone somewhere else. You’ll be playing the game the liar wants you to play. A person curving your questions should raise concerns. Ask yourself what’s their reason for beating around the bush.

2. The forgetful

The forgetful kind of liars will act like they have a form of memory loss. Nothing comes to mind and somehow, they are not able to trace event details that have occurred. Forgetful liars find it easier to just say they forgot instead of making up false lies. We’ve all forgotten things and it’s understandable to not remember every second and every minute of our lives but to not know any details at all should raise a red flag.

The common phrases you’ll hear from forgetful liars are:

• I can’t remember.

• I don’t know.

• I forgot.

• I have no idea.

• It slipped my mind.

3. The vague

The vague liars are less hostile. They can also be confusing and unclear in their answers. More details are shared to avoid being caught by the interrogator. They will provide as much information as possible because they know silence won’t do them justice but somewhere down the line, there is inconsistency. What they tell you won’t make sense. Puzzles pieces don’t align correctly, and their word choice can be poor, along with misleading.

Common phrases you’ll hear from the vague are:

• I’m pretty sure I told you everything.

• That’s all I can think of for now.

• Nothing else comes to mind.

• I don’t think there’s anything else to tell.

4. The no-timers

The no-timer liars are defensive and will make you feel guilty for wasting their precious time. In most cases, they are presented above the line of questioning. They will ultimately get strict in how busy their schedules are or talk about what they have to do so they can dodge your question. And if they have a watch or a phone, they’ll check the time frequently. These types of liars will feel like they’re spending too much valuable time in an uncomfortable situation.

Common phrases you’ll hear from no-timers are:

• I don’t have time for this.

• How long is this going to take?

• I have more important things to do.

• This is not worth my time.

5. The dismissive

The dismissive liar is similar to the stupid blamer. They will make it seem as if the question you’re asking is beneath you. Almost like there’s no importance in your questioning. That’s what dismissive liars do. This type of liar can use sneaky tactics to shift the blame towards you.

For example, your friend stole something from you, and you point out that they are in the wrong for it. Your friend decides to not take responsibility then chooses to pull the manipulation card, and now the blame is shifted on you. These types of liars prefer the spotlight off of them and reflected on the person interrogating them.

Common phrases you’ll hear from the dismissive are:

• I’ve already told you this.

• As I assume you already know.

• You know exactly what happened.

• How could you forget?

• You don’t remember me telling you?

6. The stupid blamer

This type of liar will find strategic ways to make you feel stupid for asking questions. This is a bullying tactic that can easily throw you in the lion's den. The goal of this liar is to make you feel guilty and give up on asking the question entirely. You may even second guess yourself on whether it was worth questioning. You are right where the liar wants you to be, in their place of submission. If you let go of asking the question, the liar has won you over.

Common phrases you’ll hear from a stupid blamer are:

• That’s a stupid question.

• You already asked me that.

• What kind of dumb question is that?

• You really want me to answer a silly question like that?

7. The divine convincers

The divine convincers are more talkative and give away too much information. More details are shared to avoid being caught by the interrogator. Divine convincers will believe that they are playing their cards correctly by not being quiet, but the more they talk, the more it reveals. Instead of simply giving a normal response, they use an excessive amount of answers that may be hard to believe because they’re trying too hard. In a way, divine convincers seek acceptance in what they’re saying by making bold claims to support themselves.

Common phrases you’ll hear from the divine convincers are:

• I swear to God.

• I swear on my Mother’s grave (Or in some extreme cases, my great, great grandmother).

• As God is my witness.

• I swear on my life I’m telling you the truth.

8. The “I” excluders

This type of liar removes the “I” when using their words. “I” is something that is heard very often. Many of us enjoy talking about ourselves. To avoid “I” after every sentence means the person doesn’t want to carry the responsibility of themselves. This type of liar may avoid “I” altogether because they don’t want to take ownership. With this ability, they are able to distance themselves from their false intentions.

Example phrases of “I” excluders are:

• Love you.

• Will be back soon.

• Need to run some errands for a bit.

How to spot a liar

Observing is key to understand if someone is genuinely telling you the truth or covering up something they don't want to tell you. Using active listening skills and paying attention to details is important. Knowing different types of liars will help you to strategize with someone who may not be who they seem.

According to Discover Press common signs of a liar can be crossed legs, a frozen posture, fidgeting around, grooming clothes, clenched jaws, biting down on lips, or curling lips to one side, and looking down. Additional signs can be hidden hands, laughing nervously during an unusual part of a conversation, a fake smile, and the whites and iris of someone’s eye.

Hidden hands can be placed in pockets, behind a persons back or tucked away somewhere. Hands can sometimes disclose information so they are not used. A real smile changes your entire face from top to bottom. A fake smile only adjusts the bottom half of your face. With a genuine smile, your cheeks will be lifted, and your eyes will be squinted. It will almost look like your face is being pulled in an upward motion. Of course, there are still some tricksters who know how to fake a genuine smile that can be perceived as believable.

Discover Press also discussed a liar performing “the deer in the headlights”. A deer in the headlights is when a person loses control of their facial and body expressions because they are in a state of fear. It’s also a look of shock. The individual may as well look traumatized by your question.

You should pay attention to an individual's entire body, upper and lower. There are different things you can examine in their movements and how they react. Read People Like A Book explains what parts to observe that will predict a liar. Body language can sometimes reveal what words can not. A person can tell you one thing while their actions say another.

Observe these parts in a natural state with a regular conversation and then see how the person acts when you confront them about a lie.