How do you know when someone is lying?

Question

like what are some signs to look out for when someone is lying to you? i hate being lied to so i wanna be able to tell when someone is lying to me. Thanks.

Answer 1

Most people have telling things they do when they lie, some are experts and will not give it away themselves. They will be caught eventually by tripping themselves up though.

I found this information very helpful:

How to Detect Lies
Become a Lie Detector
--------------------------------
Introduction to Detecting Lies:
The following techniques to telling if someone is lying are often used by police, and security experts. This knowledge is also useful for managers, employers, and for anyone to use in everyday situations where telling the truth from a lie can help prevent you from being a victim of fraud/scams and other deceptions.

Warning: Sometimes Ignorance is bliss; after gaining this knowledge, you may be hurt when it is obvious that someone is lying to you.

Signs of Deception:
Body Language of Lies:
• Physical expression will be limited and stiff, with few arm and hand movements. Hand, arm and leg movement are toward their own body the liar takes up less space.

• A person who is lying to you will avoid making eye contact.

• Hands touching their face, throat & mouth. Touching or scratching the nose or behind their ear. Not likely to touch his chest/heart with an open hand.

Emotional Gestures & Contradiction
• Timing and duration of emotional gestures and emotions are off a normal pace. The display of emotion is delayed, stays longer it would naturally, then stops suddenly.

• Timing is off between emotions gestures/expressions and words. Example: Someone says "I love it!" when receiving a gift, and then smile after making that statement, rather then at the same time the statement is made.

• Gestures/expressions don’t match the verbal statement, such as frowning when saying “I love you.”

• Expressions are limited to mouth movements when someone is faking emotions (like happy, surprised, sad, awe, )instead of the whole face. For example; when someone smiles naturally their whole face is involved: jaw/cheek movement, eyes and forehead push down, etc.

Interactions and Reactions
• A guilty person gets defensive. An innocent person will often go on the offensive.

• A liar is uncomfortable facing his questioner/accuser and may turn his head or body away.

• A liar might unconsciously place objects (book, coffee cup, etc.) between themselves and you.

Related Books: Never be Lied to Again

Body Language
Verbal Context and Content
• A liar will use your words to make answer a question. When asked, “Did you eat the last cookie?” The liar answers, “No, I did not eat the last cookie.”

•A statement with a contraction is more likely to be truthful: “ I didn't do it” instead of “I did not do it”

• Liars sometimes avoid "lying" by not making direct statements. They imply answers instead of denying something directly.

• The guilty person may speak more than natural, adding unnecessary details to convince you... they are not comfortable with silence or pauses in the conversation.

• A liar may leave out pronouns and speak in a monotonous tone. When a truthful statement is made the pronoun is emphasized as much or more than the rest of the words in a statement.

• Words may be garbled and spoken softly, and syntax and grammar may be off. In other
words, his sentences will likely be muddled rather than emphasized.

Other signs of a lie:
• If you believe someone is lying, then change subject of a conversation quickly, a liar follows along willingly and becomes more relaxed. The guilty wants the subject changed; an innocent person may be confused by the sudden change in topics and will want to back to the previous subject.

• Using humor or sarcasm to avoid a subject.

Final Notes:
Obviously, just because someone exhibits one or more of these signs does not make them a liar. The above behaviors should be compared to a persons base (normal) behavior whenever possible.

Further Reading: Eye Movement and Lying *New*
How to tell if someone is lying based on the movements of their eyes. With all the discussion and questions from our visitors about eye-movement and how it relates to lying... well, see for yourself.

Answer 2

Look on the Internet for pantomimes - study them, you'll become a human lie detector.

By the way, there is a lot more to it than no eye contact -- eye contact is a cultural thing. It's more about eye movement during memory access -- up and to the right or left - or excessive blinking -- next time you're lying, watch how more often you blink because your eyes dry out -- excessive swallowing -- just like with the blinking, your tongue dries when you lie so you're dry swallowing to create moisture. In Medieval times, they would pass a hot sword over your tongue and if it stuck, they'd know you were lying because your tongue was dry.

Answer 3

You have to have a "sixth" sense in order to be able to tell. If you're a Pisces, you'll be able to tell from a mile away.

The best way to do so is to check out what they have said (ask others, go through papers, their computer or anything you may have access to. If you found out that they have in fact lied to you, then that will be enough of a foundation where more times than not, that person will lie to you again and again.

Sure, it may be a violation of their privacy, sure, but then again, the only way you can protect yourself from another person's lies, and that's ultimately what you want, don't you? If called on it, simply say, "You shouldn't have lied".

Answer 4

First use logic. Listen to what's being said and use logic to determine if what is being said makes sense. When you employ logic don't let your emotions interfere. Liars usually work on someone's emotions. We are all sensitive and emotions are everyone's vulnerable spot.

As far as eye contact, I know liars who will lie straight to your face while maintaining steady eye contact. Reason they have no remorse about their lying behavior so they could look at you straight in the eyes and lie.

The solution is to use logic. Pause, think, and check out everything in your mind to see if all the facts make sense. And don't be willing to trust right away. Trust is earned not given.

Answer 5

It's hard because there're those who perfected the ART of lying, y'know. I'd say it's in the eyes, are they making direct eye contact/ looking elsewhere constantly?
Another thing to look out for is, do they keep their story (facts) consistent?/ does it change over a period of time?
Because I notice this about people... when they lie, they almost always forget what they'd said before & their story keeps changing by additional information.
Finally, you can't go wrong by observing their body language. People who know they're about to get caught, they get nerve wrecked, therefore changes in breathing, losing confidence, etc.

Answer 6

If they can't make or keep eye contact with you, its a lie. When they look to their left with their eyes, that means they are think of something. If they look to their right, they are remembering something. Studdering. Try to back track with their conversation. If they change a detail, they are lying. Last but not least, don't trust everything you hear. Hope that helps.

Answer 7

if you are afraid of being lied to, then look into the person's eyes when they are talking to you. you may not be able to see every thing that's going on from a person't eyes, but if you get proficiant at telling things from peoples' eyes then you can tell a lot. and if they are not good at lieing then you'll know by the way thier whole body acts and reacts to things.

Answer 8

Avoids direct eye contact for more than a few seconds.
Tends to be very defensive.
Not easy to spot but breathing pattern will change.
Most people who lie will only have two or three prepared follow up lies and are easy to trip up.

Answer 9

Listen very carefully to them. There will always be loose threads that cannot be filled or if their story changes when confronted.

I have seen and met liars who look at you in the eye and are extremely confident. They don't figet, aren't nervous, nothing of the sort that is commonly accepted for liar behaviour. They are pathological liars. In their minds what they are saying is the truth.

Answer 10

1. Watch the eyes for dilation, shifting, avoiding yours, etc.
2. Watch for different body language, like folding hands or putting them in pocket.
3. Listen for a change of tone in their voice, or if they uncharacteristically sound like they are trying to be convincing.
4. Listen for discrepencies in the stories.
5. Watch for them to look uncomfortable.

If they are lying, don't let it get to you. They are the one with the problem, not you.