How to Tell if Someone is Lying
Interpreting Body Language and Nonverbal Cues That Signal a Lie
Jun 28, 2009
Some people are very perceptive and can spot a liar almost instinctively. There are many things that indicate when a person is lying. Some of these signs of a liar involve behaviors can be controlled, and some are unconscious reactions to telling a lie. Here are body language behaviors that may tip off a listener to a lie.
Eye Movements Can Reveal a Lie
Eye movements and changes in the eyes are one category of body language that tell a person is lying. If a person was previously using eye contact, and suddenly looks away, it can be a clue to prevarication.
Changes in Voice for Liars
Voice changes can also reveal a lie. Voice may go up in pitch, showing stress, or it may go down in pitch and slow down, as if the person is thinking hard about what is being said. A person may stop to clear her throat, or take a long pause while deciding what to say.
Body Language When Someone is Lying
People will also make nonverbal body movements when lying. Rubbing the face, nose or chin is common. Touching legs, feet or arms can also give away a lie. A very obvious give away is when a person shakes her head "no" while saying "yes" to an answer.
Understanding the body language of lying is useful. However, it’s important to know a person's normal "baseline" behavior before making any judgment on whether an individual is lying. Some people might engage in body language behaviors when they are nervous or tired that could be misinterpreted as lying. Some people might simply have bad habits that give the impression of lying, even when they are being truthful.
Ten Signs of Lying
Determining a person’s conversational habits during a truthful encounter is called a baseline. All of the following behaviors should be compared to the baseline. Deviations from the baseline can signal that someone is lying.
- Looking away from the speaker or off into the distance when preparing to answer or when answering, or excessive eye blinking.
- Avoiding eye contact. Liars often don’t look the listener in the eye. However, some cultures find looking a person directly in the eyes disrespectful, so this isn’t always accurate. It’s important to compare this to the baseline.
- Crossing arms over the chest or stomach, or crossing legs at the knees or ankles. This is an indication the person is creating a barrier, protecting herself.
- Rubbing the face, nose, chin, or hair. This could be as simple as running a hand through the hair, or more complex, such as playing with an earring or touching her lips with a finger.
- Touching feet or legs, and touching arms. Often liars will adjust their clothing, fix a shoe strap, pick lint off a sleeve, straighten the crease in a pant leg. All of these are signs of discomfort.
- Shrugging shoulders. When a person makes a statement, then shrugs her shoulders, it appears as if she is saying it’s not believable, or she doesn’t have faith in what she’s saying.
- Shaking head “no” while orally saying “yes.” This is an obvious and unconscious motion.
- Turning the body away from the listener. Liars will often turn sideways or to an angle so that they are not facing the listener directly. It may even seem as if they are looking for an escape route.
- Changing voice pattern. Often when people are stressed, the pitch of their voice will rise. If the lie is premeditated, the voice may be lower, softer, or more controlled than normal.
- Hesitating before speaking or repeating a question. These two strategies buy time to think of what to say before answering. Children will often repeat a question if they are afraid of getting into trouble by telling the truth.
These ten signs are only a beginning of what to look for to tell if someone is lying. They are not always accurate since many experienced pathological liars learn to control these signals and replace them with nonverbal body language that encourages trust. That is why it’s important to know how a person acts under normal circumstances before judging their truthfulness.
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