by Lisa Parris

Created on: January 02, 2009

Would I lie to you?
Probably. Like it or not, the average person is forced to confront approximately 200 lies every day. That's one fib for every five minutes.
Why?
Trickery is part of the natural order of things. A possum "plays dead" when it's clearly alive and well. A harmless butterfly mimics a toxic one, pretending to be something it's not to evade enemies. Nature rewards successful swindlers by allowing them to survive long enough to produce offspring. Human beings master the art of deception for the same reason; to save themselves and stay out of trouble, if they can.

Most lies are the harmless "Oh I love your new haircut," variety. But many are not. Knowing how to detect dishonesty can be just as important to your survival as knowing how to tell a convincing lie. A person who is able to spot a lie quickly is unlikely to be swindled by a snake oil salesman or duped by a devious spouse. Luckily, armed with the right information, anyone can learn to recognise the telltale signs of lying.
1 Not to say that it takes one to know one but, it does help if you are familiar with a person's normal behavior. Are they restless, fidgeting, scratching their face, twisting their head side to side or up and down? These are often indicators you are being lied to. Measure a person's response against their ordinary behavior to spot the telltale differences.
2. If you ask someone a question and they look away when they give you the answer or speak in a voice that isn't like their usual style, you are probably being lied to. When someone is telling you the truth their tone generally stays the same. They do not rush their words or skip over parts of the story. And they can tell it equally well backwards.
3. Lying takes a lot of mental energy, which will be diverted from other parts of the body. Contrary to popular opinion, liars move around less, not more, than other people. Watch for limited and stiff physical expressions; with few arm and hand motions.
4. Are they touching their face, throat, and mouth? Scratching their nose? Tugging on their ear? These are classic gestures which simply scream "I'm lying!" Liars are NOT likely to touch their chest or heart with an open hand.
5. The timing of a liar may be slightly off as they have to think of how they ought to respond. There is often a slight lag between gestures and expressions. For example, a person opens a gift and says, "I love it!" then smiles, instead of doing both at the same time.
6. Or gestures and expressions don't match,

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>