Content

• Steps
• Advice

It can be difficult to know when people are lying, especially if they are great liars. However, there are still characteristic signs of deception. Paying attention to their body language, words, and reactions in specific situations will help you judge whether a person is lying or not.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Observe body language

1. 

   Notice if he is grooming or modifying something. Many liars accidentally stroke their hair, straighten the pencil on the table or push the chair under the table. These actions may be signs that the person is lying.

2. 

   
   
   Hear if they cough or swallow their saliva. Lying people may clear their throat more often or swallow their saliva before they respond.

3. 

   See if they're constantly touching their faces. Many liars do not appear restless, but they often put their hands on their faces. The pressure to make up a story will make the liar a little nervous. Suspense can cause blood to withdraw from the outermost parts of the body, including the ears. Sometimes this can cause tickling or other sensations, and the person may reach up and touch the ear with his hand.

4. 

   
   
   Observe tight lips. Liars tend to purge their lips tighter and more often than not when they are not telling the truth. This can show concentration as they are composing the story.

5. 

   Look for signs of less blinking. The act of lying requires a lot of cognitive energy, as the liar needs to focus more on using mental strength. People blink less when using cognitive energy, so watch for signs of less blink if you suspect someone is lying.
   • Similar movement is stirring. People move less often when cognitive activity increases, such as when lying.

6. 

   
   
   Track the person's body movements. Many people who are lying often stand motionless. Some people think it is the body's response to a dangerous situation. Similar to the "fight or run" reaction, the body will stand still and prepare to fight. advertisement

Method 2 of 3: Notice spoken language

1. 

   Pay attention to their use of words. The language of the fabrication is often not personal. The person who is lying can reduce the use of words in the first person like ‘'me’ or ‘my’. The person may avoid mentioning her own name, and instead have pronouns like ‘'him’ and ‘her’.

2. 

   Observing 'dumb' behavior ''. When you ask a liar, they may steer your question in the other direction. He can change the subject or answer you with a question.

3. 

   Note the words over and over. The person who is lying may repeat certain words. This seems like he's trying to convince himself of the story he's telling. It is also possible that certain words were part of the lie he was rehearsing.
   • The liar may also repeat your question, perhaps he is trying to take time to think of an appropriate response.

4. 

   Listen to interrupted sentences. Usually, the liar will start answering and stop. Then start over or don't finish the sentence. This may be an indication that they have recognized gaps in their story and are trying to cover up that error.

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   Recognize when the person corrects what they say. Liars often unintentionally correct their words while trying to embellish and sharpen the story they are telling. If you notice that the person regularly corrects his sentence, perhaps their story is made up.

6. 

   Find the lack of detail in the story. Lying people often ignore the small details that truth-tellers often mention. Small details are often difficult to collect and remember, so liars feel it's best to ignore them.
   • A true speaker can depict background music in a certain scene, while a liar can ignore this detail. The story will be generally ambiguous so they can remember what they have to say.
   • Liars may also inconsistently describe details, so pay attention to details of the story.
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Method 3 of 3: Track the person's responses

1. 

   Notice if the person's expression fully expresses his feelings. When a person intentionally shows false emotions, his expression will betray him. For example, if the person smiles, see if his eyes are smiling.Likewise, if the person cried, would that emotion manifest in the lower half of their face?

2. 

   Ask a question that the person did not plan ahead. Liars often organize their story with planned questions. When you surprise them by asking something unpredictable, they may not have a satisfactory response.
   • For example, if the person says he eats at a restaurant, he will probably guess how much money you would ask about the food, the waiter and the meal. But he may not have expected the question of where the toilet is.

3. 

   Read the fleeting expressions on her face. Transient expressions are very small movements on a person's facial expression that represent true feelings. These emotions passed quickly, sometimes lasting only 1/125 seconds.
   • The fleeting expressions reveal emotion, but may not give you clues as to why they are feeling. For example, if the liar's fleeting expression shows fear, it may be because she is afraid of being discovered. But an honest person can also show anxiety for fear that people won't believe him.

4. 

   Observe for inconsistencies between speech and posture. Sometimes people say one thing, but unknowingly their body reacts in the other. For example, he might say "yes", but his head would shake as if to say "no".
   • Remember that non-verbal cues vary greatly from person to person. What you notice in one person may not be true for another.
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Advice

• It is difficult to determine whether a person is lying or not through text or correspondence. One study has shown that liars take longer to respond to text messages, partly because they have to trim to make their messages perfect.