5 Ways to Spot a Liar

Helen Holmes December 05, 2012

Your spouse was late again and when you asked why, it takes several minutes for him to answer and he couldn’t look you in the eye. Your co-worker says he is glad to help you on your presentation but he seems disinterested and focused on the computer monitor. Your eighteen-year-old daughter says she’s meeting her classmates for a group study but her dress doesn’t seem appropriate.

Wouldn’t it be great to know when you are being lied to? Have you ever wished you have the ability to read minds and figure out a potential liar?

Lying as a Skill

In a small study involving 32 people, researchers from the Northwestern University found that it only takes 20 minutes of practising to master a lie. Half of the participants were asked to remember three false facts about their identity – date of birth, name and hometown. The researchers then asked the volunteers to answer the question “Is it true for you?” and the participants had to press the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ button. They noticed that after 270 (equivalent to 20 minutes of practise), the ‘liars’ were able to respond as if they were telling the truth.

According to Xiaoqing Hu, study co-author and psychology doctoral candidate at Northwestern University, lying requires some mental juggling. When a person tells a lie, his mind is confronted with two different answers and it usually takes a while to suppress the truth and choose the lie. But just 20 minutes of practise is enough to memorise the lie completely. It works the same way with affirmations. For instance, if you tell yourself “I can do it”, “I am good”, “I am competent”, even if you have always doubted yourself, you are positively affecting your performance.

How to Spot a Liar

But remember, not all lies are positive. Most lies do have a negative impact to the people involved. So how do you know if a person is lying to you? With the following tips, you can determine a potential liar without having to use a polygraph machine.

1. Liars take too long to respond.

In his research, Hu compared the response time between the truth-tellers and the liars. He found that those who lie take a little longer to respond as compared to those who speak of the truth. If you ask them two questions of similar complexity but their response to the second question takes longer than the first, you should be suspicious.

2. Their behaviour or mood changes.

Many people who lie tend to get nervous which usually reflects on their behaviour. If someone suddenly gets uncomfortable, irritated or mad, he or she might be trying to suppress the truth.

3. Their pupils get bigger.

According to experts, pupil dilation is a reliable indicator that the brain is working hard. In the case of lying, the person has to think hard to produce a false version of facts as they speak.

4. Their stories don’t make sense at all.

In trial courts, lawyers test the credibility of a witness through cross-examination. They ask a series of questions to determine the truth from the lies. You can easily know if someone is lying to you if he or she finds it hard to sew the story, couldn’t name a place, time or any precise detail of the story.

5. They make funny faces or force a smile.

Emotions usually reflect on someone’s facial expressions. If the person you are talking to appears to react in an unusual way, he or she might be telling a lie.

Dear Readers,

Can you give some more tips on how to sport a liar?

Share your comments below.

Source of this article:

How to Spot a Liar