How To Tell If Someone Is Lying

Heya guys! 

Its me, Young and Enquiring (although I'm still looking for a new name...)!

Today my article is on how to tell if someone is lying. 

I'm sure that you have all wondered at some point if you are being lied to, and now you can find out!

Face and Voice

1. Look for micro expressions.

Micro expressions are emotions that flash up on a person's face when they are trying to conceal the truth. It is usually distress - their eyebrows join together and lift, with creases along their forehead.

2. Look for eye movements.

If a person is making something up, they are likely to avoid eye contact. A right handed person's eyes will move up and to the right, and vice versa for left handed. Liars tend to blink more and rub their eyes, but just because they do this doesn't always mean that they are lying - people do this for other reasons as well. 

3. Listen for voice changes.

Liars usually talk faster and in a higher pitch, and also stutter or quaver. 

Verbal Responses

4. Pay attention to exaggerated details.

If the person appears to be adding too much information, they are often lying. To many details can tip you off to their desparation for you to believe them.

5. Be aware of impulsive emotional actions.

If they answer a question too quickly, it could be because they have already rehearsed the answer so that it sounds believable. They can gloss over facts, and not tell the whole truth - in contrast to the last one, they may be relatively vague.

6. Pay attention to their reaction.

Liars feel the need to defend themselves. They will repeat things over and over, rather than tell more. If they weren't expecting a question, there can be a delay as it will take a minute to come up with a convincing answer.

7. Pay attention to usage of words. 

If they repeat your exact words or ask you to repeat a question. Using the words 'basically' or 'what happened was' or 'it depends what you mean by' means that they are stalling while they come up with an answer. In addition losing track of the conversation and pausing for a minute, while they think. They don't use contractions, eg 'do not' rather than 'don't'. Not making sense. Not finishing sentences. Using humor/sarcasm to avoid the question or subject. Answering too quickly with a negative to confirm a positive. 

8. Notice when they repeat sentences.

When they make up a lie, they will use a certain few phrases that they have already rehearsed and perfected. When asked to explain again, they will use the same words.

9. Notice a sentence jump. 

Liars may suddenly switch mid sentence to say something else - commonly a compliment or question to someone else, to take the attention off them.

Body Language

Check for:

- sweating;

- trembling;

- blushing;

- difficulty swallowing;

- fidgeting;

- nodding/shaking head;

- less mirroring your movements: leaning away or not copying you;

- gulping/swallowing more;

- breathing faster;

- stiff/limited body movements.

Interrogation 

Some tips when you are interrogating them:

- Be careful not to misread them;

- Look at the big picture and the context;

- Don't show signs that you think they're lying;

- Find out how they behave when they are telling the truth and find the differences;

- Spot deflections: not directly responding;

- Ask them to repeat the story;

- Use silence;

- Follow through and check the facts;

- Repeat it to them wrong and see if they correct you.

I really hope this helped y'all, I found this really helpful! I love to know if people are lying or not!

Credits: I got most of the information from wikiHow, took notes and copied it out in my own words, adding some original ideas too.

Question of the Day: How often do you lie, and are you any good at it? Answer in the comments below!

Lots of love,

Young and Enquiring x