Is body language really such a reliable way to tell if someone is lying?

Question

I just read a study that says that most of those who think they can spot a liar everytime actually get it wrong most of the time.

I have read a lot of books on bodylanguage and can tell a lot of things based on bodylanguage, but it still seems like when I am sure that someone is lying because they are displaying like five of the signs of lying, I later find out they are telling the truth.

So if bodylanguage is so unreliable, how can you tell if someone is lying? I would think the best method is to do what detectives do. Keep asking the same questions over time and see if the details change. Then you know they are lying because the details don't change if they are telling the truth (unless they have a bad memory) only if they lied and they can't remember their lies. It is also great because as they tell their story they will say things that are either implausible or can be verified not to be true. What do you think? Is BL a good way to spot a liar or my way?

Answer 1

it can be but you either need to be a pro at it ( your detective) or know the person well enough to use it as a supplementary tool. Even then you need more than just BL to be sure. It's a tool in a box of many. I've found eye contact & observation to be the truest tells

Answer 2

No, body language is not reliable enough... you'll get a lot of false negatives with a good liar.

There's a new method in the works that is supposed to be much more reliable than a polygraph. It works by watching brain activity patterns, which a person cannot fake. If it says they are telling the truth... well... at least they truly believe they are. And if it says they're lying, there's almost no doubt.

Answer 3

The mouth may lie, but the eyes and the rest of the body cannot. It's not always easy to read, but body language is pretty much fool-proof if you know what to look for. I firmly believe everyone will have a "tell" of some kind, though sometimes they're very very subtle and easily missed unless, as i said, you know exactly what kind of things to look for. Of course if a person is under stress, or nervous while answering questions, they may exhibit some of the signs of lying simply because of being nervous or uncomfortable at being put on the spot. Its not an exact science, and its a difficult skill to really get good at without some extensive training and practice.

Answer 4

Lets see. My last boyfriend was so good at lying he didn't give any body language signs, and had me believing everything. The thing is he would sometimes get his story a little mixed up, but then would always have a come back to why it didn't match. And he was able to make that even believable, so It was so hard for me to catch him in a lie. He would even lie when I caught him in a lie to, and try to get his way out of it. But sometimes he would admit it to me if there was no way for him to get out of it. It can be very fustrating and hurting. All i can say, the truth will come out in some way or the other. It always did with my boyfriend. For instance when he went to jail i discoverd that he had stolen from me, and even after I confronted him about it, he said some one broke in the house. Well, the detective found that he had pawned the items in his name. Boo yah, caught him in a lie! And that wasn't the only thing, little things that didn't even matter started coming out. Best thing I can tell you, is just get away from who ever it is. Sometimes you don't have to have evidence to know when some one is lying. And if you stay, then you will probably just end up getting hurt really bad, like I did.

Answer 5

I used to worry about that kind of stuff all day, bottom line,if you are spending this much time in a fret about it, it shows your lack of intuitive trust, which means either you are denying this person is a liar,or you got some issues that you need to fix, pretty much the truth always comes to the surface,why not enjoy every second until that time would have to come,cause at least you had fun waiting to for your answer and what if the whole time they were telling the truth and all your distrust just might make them go do it anyway if they are getting accused. you know? Just focus on you and your telling the truth, don't expect something out of someone else cause when they don't follow through with their end you will have more issues with future relationships

Answer 6

Yes it is.

Perhaps you are not using it in the correct context. It is a very tricky thing to do and there are people who are practiced in fooling people with body language.

If you know the signs of lying, you could use them while you are telling the truth to make the interrogator suspicious that you are lying.

In a formal investigative format, detectives and other interrogators have the luxury of being able to persistently badger their subject in the manner you describe.

In a more informal and social context, it is difficult to do. Doing this is almost tantamount to calling the subject a liar.

There are other, subtle ways to detect falsehood. See what the women do when they want to get something out of their guys! They are very good at it!

Answer 7

You can only tell someone is lying when they stray from their "baseline behaviour" but even then, some people are so good at lying, they can still be themselves and fib.

In my country, authorities torture you until you tell them you're responsible for the crime...

Answer 8

yup it is, if its not there wudn't be people trying to learn it all over the world rite? but if u wan to use bl to check u better be a pro at it or else if u send rong msg it will be veri embrassing for u

Answer 9

type body language into google images.

Answer 10

not really. i lie without moving. and everyone always believe my lies(: