Everyone fibs--many of us as often as we brush our teeth. While there is no surefire way to sniff out dissemblers, there are some helpful clues and tactics for uncovering untruths. Here are 11.
Tricky Tilt
Truthful people more likely to face her questioners head on. Liars, on the other hand, are"likely to lack frontal alignment and will often sit with both their arms and legs crossed as if frozen," says Joseph Buckley, president of John E. Reid & Associates, which has provided interview and interrogation training to more than 500,000 law enforcement agents to date.
Imprecise Pronouns
There is an "I" in "lie," but often not in the lie itself. To psychologically distance themselves from the lie, people often pepper their tales with second- and third-person pronouns like "you," "we," and "they."
Heavy Hands
When telling the truth, people often make hand gestures to the rhythm of their speech. Hands emphasize points or phrases--a natural and compelling technique when they actually believe the points they're making. The less certain will keep gesticulations in check.
Nervous Nellie
Skilled liars don't break a sweat; the rest of us get a little fidgety. Four possible giveaways: shifty eyes, higher vocal pitch, perspiration and heavier breathing. Be careful, though: Not everyone who doesn't meet your gaze is a liar. "Certain behavioral traits like averting eye contact could be cultural and not indicative of a liar," says Buckley.
The Reid Technique
A registered trademark of John E. Reid & Associates, the Reid Technique is a nine-step interrogation process that many U.S. law enforcement agencies employ to ferret out lies. The goal of the process is to lead the liar down a path such that he or she eventually has no choice but to admit guilt.
Curious Questions
Liars are more likely to ask that questions be repeated and preface pronouncements with, "to tell you the truth," and "to be perfectly honest," says Buckley. Evasive answers to direct questions should raise your hackles, too.
Tongues as Long as Telephone Wires
Something about the phone seems to bring out the liar in us. In one week-long study of 30 college students, Hancock observed that the phone was the most popular weapon of choice, enabling 37% of the lies told in this time, versus 27% during face-to-face exchanges, 21% using Web-based messaging and just 14% via e-mail. Little surprise, perhaps: Most phone calls don't leave a record behind.
Sparse Specifics
Liars--amateur ones, anyway--may not have thought through all the particulars of their stories. If you suspect you're being lied to, gently probe for details. (You don't want the person to know you're on to him.)
Pregnant Pauses
When a person is lying, the gaps between their words often increase, according to a 2002 study led by Robin Lickley, professor of speech and language at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, Scotland. While honest folks have the truth locked and loaded, liars tend to take more time between points--no doubt searching for which approach will be the most convincing.
Lack of Cooperation
Used-car salesmen notwithstanding, people generally don't like to lie. It makes them uncomfortable, even surly. "While a truthful person is concerned, composed and sincere, a liar is often defensive, guarded and less cooperative," says Buckley.
Need to Be Right
When honest people tell stories, they may realize partway through that they left out some details and unselfconsciously backtrack to fill in holes. They also may realize a previous statement wasn't quite right, and go back and explain further. Liars, on the other hand, "are worried that someone might catch them in a lie and are reluctant to admit to such ordinary imperfections," says psychologist Bella DePaulo, author of more than a dozen deception studies.
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