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Nov 30, 2022 · Fidgeting. Touching one's hair or face. Angling oneself away from the interaction. Crossed arms. Avoiding looking you in the eye. These kinds of body language cues convey discomfort, which can certainly arise from lying—but take this all with a grain of salt. Studies have shown that certain body language doesn't always indicate lying 1, and ...
- Overview
- Breathing Rapidly
- Changes to Fidgeting Behavior
- Fleeting Micro-expressions
- Darting Eyes
- Less Blinking
- Faking a Smile
- Touching Their Face
- Pursing Lips
- Sweating Excessively
Do you feel like someone might be lying to you? Wish there were some tells? The truth is that, although there are many supposed clues hiding in body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice that can tell you if someone's lying, none of these are fully backed by science.
But that doesn't mean they don't work sometimes! The best way to detect a lie is to look not at any specific behaviors, but at how those behaviors change from the person's
—how they'd act if they were telling the truth.
Read on for a list of some hints that what someone's telling you might be less than truthful—or at least that they're really nervous about what they're saying.
Some people may breathe more shallowly when they lie.
Breathing quickly and shallowly is a symptom of nervousness. People are often nervous when they lie, especially if they're worried they're about to get caught doing something they shouldn't have been doing.
A liar might fidget more than normal to reflect their discomfort.
Psychologically, people don't like to lie. If a person who normally doesn't fidget a lot when they speak suddenly starts shuffling their feet, moving their head from side to side, or shifting back and forth, they might be lying.
On the other hand, if the person is aware of the fact that they'll seem untrustworthy if they fidget a lot, they might look still as a statue and make no movement whatsoever.
In any nerve-wracking situation, such as telling a lie, the body can go into "fight or flight" mode. Fidgeting indicates a "flight" response while staying absolutely still is more of a "fight" response.
Keep the person's baseline behavior in mind if you're familiar with it. The key here is to focus on changes from that person's baseline norm, not specifically whether they're fidgeting.
Some people with anxiety, ADHD, or other disorders may have a tendency to fidget around more, so keep that in mind if the person you think is lying has any of that.
Brief micro-expressions can display a liar's true emotions.
A micro-expression is created subconsciously when a person's facial expression shifts for a fraction of a second. These micro-expressions can't typically be controlled and tell you what the person is truly feeling. This is an especially valuable clue if the micro-expression doesn't match what the person is saying.
Darting eyes can be a big sign of discomfort.
If someone just lied to you, they're probably feeling uncomfortable, especially if you're peppering them with questions. If their eyes start shifting rapidly from left to right, there's a good chance that they aren't telling the truth.
People who are lying tend to blink far less often.
People tend to blink, on average, about 5 times a minute. Rapid blinking suggests nervousness. But people who are lying tend to blink far less because the act of lying is more mentally taxing than telling the truth—a phenomenon researchers refer to as "cognitive load." When someone is doing something mentally taxing, they tend to stop doing other things, such as blinking.
A real smile affects the entire face and matches what the person is saying.
When a liar smiles, their expression may look tight or forced, instead of genuine. Think of it this way—if you see crow’s feet on a person’s face, they’re probably telling the truth. They'll also be saying something that it seems natural for a person to smile when they say.
People engage in "self-soothing" techniques when they're lying.
Because the act of lying is uncomfortable, people often touch their face or their neck, pull on their collar, or run their hands through their hair. These acts can also signal that the person is simply nervous, though, which might have nothing to do with lying.
Liars tend to purse their lips more often than usual.
This is one of the few nonverbal signs that's actually backed by science. Because people's mouths tend to get dry when they're lying, they have a tendency to purse or lick their lips more. If their lips look tight and pinched, they might be hiding the truth.
The body tends to sweat extra after telling a lie.
Does the person’s forehead, cheeks, or back of the neck seem especially sweaty? See if the person starts wiping at these areas more than they usually would. This could indicate that they're not being honest with you.
Aug 31, 2023 · Once you have established a baseline and want to spot a lie, look for shifts in behavior. Look for inconsistencies in their story, exaggerated details, and avoiding eye contact. Liars tend to touch or cover their mouth more and shift in their seats. They may speak in a higher pitch or clearing their throat often.
- Tina Donvito
- Listen for oversell expressions. Research has shown that verbal cues are some of the most accurate indicators that someone is lying. These linguistic signs include overselling your point.
- Look for a mismatch between words and expressions. If the words coming out of a person’s mouth don’t seem to match their expression, it could be a sign they’re lying.
- Pay attention to irrelevant details. Research shows that truth-tellers include relevant, verifiable details in their statements. A liar, on the other hand, may try to distract you with a bunch of information you really don’t need to know.
- Notice when the corner of the mouth turns down. Understanding how to tell if someone is lying goes beyond the words they say to the minute, subconscious reactions they have.
- Start by asking neutral questions. By asking someone basic, nonthreatening questions, you are able to observe a response baseline. Ask them about the weather, their plans for the weekend, or anything that would elicit a normal, comfortable response.
- Find the hot spot. Once you move from neutral territory to the “lie zone,” you should be able to observe a change in body language, facial expressions, eye movement, and sentence structure.
- Watch body language. Liars often pull their bodies inward when lying to make themselves feel smaller and less noticeable. Many people will become squirmy and sometimes conceal their hands to subconsciously hide fidgety fingers.
- Observe micro-facial expressions. People will often give away a lie in their facial expressions, but some of these facial expressions are subtle and difficult to spot.
Mar 10, 2023 · According to a 2019 Plos One report, people identifying themselves as a good liar were a better indicator they had lied than a lie detector test. Covering of the eyes or mouth: In an attempt to ...
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Apr 27, 2017 · Here are seven ways to spot a lie: Examine body language When someone is lying, his or her body language can often give you a clue. They may have fidgety hands or hide their hands completely. They ...
